Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!hoptoad!tim
From: tim@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: vi for the Mac
Message-ID: <5704@hoptoad.uucp>
Date: 20 Oct 88 16:21:20 GMT
References: <442@edsel.UUCP>
Reply-To: tim@hoptoad.UUCP (Tim Maroney)
Organization: Eclectic Software, San Francisco
Lines: 39

In article <442@edsel.UUCP> sjs1@edsel.UUCP (S Starr) writes:
>1. Moded (yes, moded!) editing. Emacs users aside, human factors studies
>   have been done that show little difference in speed of learning or 
>   speed of editing (once learned) between vi (moded) and emacs 
>   (modeless) editors.

The reason modelessness is mandated in the Mac has nothing to do with the
learning time.  I'm not surprised no difference was found between old-style
modal and modeless editors' learning time, since the bottleneck there is
memorizing a large command set, not modality.

The reason Mac applications are supposed to be non-modal is error prevention.
Even experienced vi users often find themselves giving commands in insert
mode or typing text in command mode.

>2. Non-mouse editing. I have no doubt at all that I can navigate
>   and modify a screen much more deftly than can most mouse user with 
>   vi's easily accessible cursor movement and pattern matching commands.
>   Maybe I'm just a great typist; I don't know. But I don't need to
>   take my hands off the keyboard to navigate with vi, and I rarely
>   have to even chord-key; it's a convenience I appreciate.

The Mac has had arrow keys for quite a while now.  Unfortunately, not all
editors have MPW's extensions of the arrow key command set, but in MPW or
TOPS Terminal, I never have to take my hands from the keyboard to get
around.  As for bottlecap keys, I prefer typing Command-F to first striking
Escape and then striking slash to search for something.  One slightly more
complicated action beats out two slightly simpler actions in real cost.

>3. Pattern matching and (with underlying "ex") global modification
>   capabilities.

As has been pointed out over and over, Mac editors like MPW, Capps, and QUED
have equally powerful features.  (I didn't have time to put regular expression
matching into TOPS Terminal, unfortunately.)
-- 
Tim Maroney, Consultant, Eclectic Software, sun!hoptoad!tim
"I see little divinity about them or you.  You talk to me of Christianity
 when you are in the act of hanging your enemies.  Was there ever such
 blasphemous nonsense!" - Shaw, "The Devil's Disciple"