Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!emdeng!lnewman
From: lnewman@emdeng.Dayton.NCR.COM (Lee.A.Newman)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: vi-like editor for the IBM PC
Message-ID: <639@emdeng.Dayton.NCR.COM>
Date: 10 Mar 89 17:40:32 GMT
References: <688@nvuxl.UUCP> <1000004@spdyne>
Reply-To: lnewman@emdeng.Dayton.NCR.COM (Lee.A.Newman)
Distribution: na
Organization: E&M Dayton, NCR Corporation, Dayton, Ohio
Lines: 36

In article <1000004@spdyne> root@spdyne.UUCP writes:
>> > EDITOR WARS!
>
>Yes, I use BRIEF configured to work like VI.  I have re-written the default
>macros completely.  My set makes the program run almost exactly like vi except
>for the added ablility to do things like: Hex/Dec Calcalator, Column moves,
>Substitues across files, split screen edits (multiple files), 300 level
>un-do, Auto-save, etc, etc...
>
>
>    Yes, I just LOVE using EDT on a adm3a... Loads of fun...Ever try a NON-DEC
>terminal? YEEACH!  Very hard to get anything useful done, and even with
>a keypad, I didn't like it as it was hard to learn.. (Now was '4' Paste or
>Cut?...) Just what do you do if you don't have that little plastic keypad
>layout?  I loved it when I moved over to UNIX and got away from SOS (I didn't
>use EDT much as most of the termials weren't VT* compatiable.)
>

It's quite interesting...  Just about everyone I know is in love with the
the first non-cumbersome editor they ever used...

Remember - how well will your favorite editor work on a different keyboard...
One without arrow keys... or without a keypad... or without an alt key...
maybe no function keys...      vi does have the advantage that it works
with nearly ANY keyboard.  


>My only problems with Brief are:
>
 <list deleted>

Let me add one more problem with Brief:
 5) It does not permit any nulls to appear in the source file.  If any are
    found, it deletes them. (At least it gives you a message.  Something
    like "Fixing nulls").  Quite a nasty fix!  Ever accidentally Brief a
    binary file?  Not fun.