Date: Sun, 14 Jun 1998 23:19:05 -0600 (MDT) From: allen campbell <allenc@verinet.com> To: fewtch@serv.net Cc: newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: A first encounter with 'vi' Message-ID: <199806150519.XAA06109@struct.> In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19980614145301.007ed5c0@mx.serv.net>
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> Oh my lord... save me from vi... ;-) Nope. > Today, I was unfortunate enough to encounter it for the first time when > trying to change my shell from sh back to csh (don't ask). That has to be > the editor from hell (forgive me if I'm insulting any old-school *nix'ers > here, but this IS a forum for newbies). It is unfortunate that most people encounter vi this way. They get thrown into it while trying to perform some configuration. > I thought I was in hell when I was > in that editor (obviously one of the original Unix editors back when > mainframes and dumb terminals were all the rage). I hope I don't commit > too many sins in my life and when I die be damned to an eternity of typing > full-length articles using vi <shudder>. My first encounter with vi occurred in 1995, while learning Linux. I now spend >4 hours per day making a living with it (vi that is, not Linux.) There are simply ways to perform all of the necessary editing operations you expect to be able to do including `cut-and-paste', paragraph formating, spell checking, etc. > The damn thing even had the nerve > to send me mail stating that I used it incorrectly afterward. An editor > that Emails you and tells you about your mistakes and how to recover from > them? Only in Unix... ;-) Not understanding vi, you probably exited in a unusual manner. The mail is just vi trying to be helpful. When vi ends in an abnormal manner, the current contents of the buffer are saved. Imagine if you were editing a significant file and a system administrator decided to take the system down while you were away from your workstation. Vi will save the buffer and allow you to recover when you next log in. Believe me, in your time with vi, this will save you many times. > > I truly am glad I don't *only* use FreeBSD (grin). Sometimes the ease of > use of Win95/NT can be such sweet relief to us *nix newbies... There are many alternatives to vi. There are 38 ports listed in ports/editors. However, I would encourage you to approach vi deliberately and learn the basics. Vi is a very powerful editor and it is ubiquitous. Well worth learning by anyone involved with Unix. -- Allen Campbell allenc@verinet.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message
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