Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 09:26:24 -0700 (PDT) From: David Wolfskill <dhw@whistle.com> To: freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: First commands Message-ID: <199810061626.JAA06545@pau-amma.whistle.com> In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19990204182631.006978b8@we.mediaone.net>
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>From: gummibear@we.mediaone.net
>Date: Thu, 04 Feb 1999 18:26:31 -0800
>At 10:35 AM 10/5/98 -0700, David Wolfskill wrote:
>>I also have never found a use for "ee", but then, I've been using "vi"
>>(& other editors with a similar heritage) since '86. Still, for anyone
>>who is likely to be working with any other flavors of UNIX, I would be
>>*very* hard-pressed to recommend spending the time to learn "ee".
>"the time to learn ee"? I think that most people could spare a minute
>(literally) to look over the control commands on the top of the "ee"
>screen. It's really not hard to use, and for newbies that's a definate plus.
Ummm.... By the time that I *realize* that I'm using "ee", I have done:
* login as root
* checked in (& checked out) a few /etc/* files
* edited them (using vi, of course)
* checked them back in
* remembered that I need to put the NIS "magic cookie" in
/etc/{master.,}passwd
* type "vipw"
* enter "Gyyp:%s/^[^:]*//<return>"
* get some sort of text pop-up menu that alerts me that "this is 'ee',
we don't do things that way here"
Then I:
* make a sub-vocal response
* Try to figure out how to get out of this thing without damaging my
/etc/master.passwd
* vi ~/.cshrc & "/ee<return>cwvi<ESC>:wq<return>"
* source !$
* Go do the "vipw" again, but after the <return>, enter
"i+<ESC>:wq<return>"
The above is the *only* time I use ee. And it only happens when I'm
installing FreeBSD on a box. Thus, given the other things I have to do,
I do not have the time to deal with learning to use something of such
limited usefulness (for me).
Maybe "ee" is more useful for those more familiar with editors like that
used in the Pascal p-System, or some other environments. It's *not*
familiar to me (last time I used the p-System stuff was about '89 or so,
and since I only used it on rare occasions, the process was similarly
annoying). It doesn't seem to resemble vi; it certainly doesn't
resemble ISPF/PDF. I don't think it resembles EDIT (under VM/CMS --
it's been a few years since I dealt with that, too). (I also find PICO
obnoxious, and do my best to stay away from EMACS.)
The point I'm trying to make is that folks who are "newbies" to FreeBSD
do not necessarily have a common background. Providing tools to help
folks is great; assuming that those tools will be equally useful for all
folks is not so great.
david
--
David Wolfskill UNIX System Administrator
dhw@whistle.com voice: (650) 577-7158 pager: (650) 371-4621
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