Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!mcvax!cernvax!ethz!ethz-inf!wyle
From: wyle@inf.ethz.ch (Mitchell Wyle)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: Editor Wars
Keywords: editors, vi
Message-ID: <175@inf.ethz.ch>
Date: 21 Apr 89 17:17:28 GMT
References: <175@hcr.UUCP> <587@alice.marlow.uucp> <4048@ttidca.TTI.COM> <960@myrias.UUCP> <24@hcr.UUCP> <4129@ttidca.TTI.COM> <194@xochitl.UUCP> <156@inf.ethz.ch> <3892@mipos3.intel.com> <23162@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: wyle@ethz.UUCP (Mitchell Wyle)
Organization: Wyle Consulting Associates
Lines: 84

This is my first posted reply to a flame; I hope the useful info in this
article off-sets the counter-flame.

In article <23162@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> 
ked@garnet.berkeley.edu (Earl H. Kinmonth) writes:
>Maybe because I'm an historian, I can remember events earlier than 8:00 am
>[..]
>This newsgroup must have one of the highest bull shit to useful information
>ratios of any newsgroup outside of the soc.culture.you-name-it groups.  In
>two years of "reading" this group, I've only seen three or four postings
>that caused me to exercise the third finger of my left hand (s) rather than
>the first finger of my right hand (j).

Maybe our feed is filtered and we get only the good articles. ;-)  I
have to disagree.  I have collected a lot of wisdom from this group,
and 81 Kbytes of vi macro code, vi quick reference manuals, tips and
tricks.  Consider the "transpose case macro" discussion with such gems
as:

map V :s/\([a-z]*\)\([A-Z]*\)/\U\1\L\2/g^V^M
map v mxdwO^VpV0D:d^V^M`xP`x

and

map ^T i^M^[Ea^M^[-y$Pa^M^[-:s/./\~/g^M"zd$+@z--4J
map ^T i^M^[Ea^M^[-y$Pa^M^[-:s/^[   ]*//^M:s/./\~/g^M0"zd$+@z--4J

What about the insert mode macros posted for public use?

se ai sm ts=3 sw=3 prompt
"
" Map insert mode keys
map! #in #include
map! #de #define
map! #un #undef
map! #el #else
map! #en #endif

not to mention my own "electric modula-2" macros with such useful gems
as:

map ;pr iPROCEDURE proc(vars) : BOOLEAN;^V^M(* PreConditions:  *)^V^M(*
PostConditions: *)^V^MEND proc;^V^M^V^[kkkkwcw

and

map ;if iIF ( cond ) THEN^V^M  statement ^V^MEND;^V^M^V^[kkkwwcw
map ;ie iIF ( cond ) THEN^V^M  statement ^V^MELSE^V^M
statement2^V^MEND;^V^M^V
^[5kwwcw
map ;ii iELSEIF ( cond2 ) THEN^V^M  stmnt2^V^MELSEIF ( cond3 ) THEN^V^M
stmnt3
^V^M^V^[
map ;ca iCASE var OF^V^M  case1 : stmnt1 ^V|^V^M  case2 : stmnt2
^V|^V^Mcase3 : stmnt3^V^M  ELSE default^V^MEND; (* case *)^V^M^V^[

* * *

How can you complain when we (admittedly occasionally) see such useful
information?

>How about a vote.  How many readers want to read postings of the form

If you can't stand the noise and flames, get off the net.  Don't
complain about postings devoid of useful information if your own
article is a self-reference.

>(a)	I use vi and think anyone who uses emacs must have escaped from
>	from "sheltered employment."
>(b)	I use emacs and think anyone who uses vi must have to register
>	with the local parole board.

 (c) I use both; here are some helpful macros for beginners and advanced
     users.

>If the majority selects (a) or (b), so be it.  I also know how to use the "u" 
>command!

Do you always advertise to the *entire* net before you push the u button?

-- 
-Mitchell F. Wyle                         wyle@ethz.uucp
Institut fuer Informationssysteme         wyle@inf.ethz.ch
ETH Zentrum / 8092 Zurich, Switzerland    +41 1 256 5237