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Date:      Tue, 16 Jun 1998 23:21:26 -0700 (PDT)
From:      Ben Manes <anarchy@crl.com>
To:        freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: A first encounter with 'vi'
Message-ID:  <Pine.SUN.3.91.980616220310.21545D-100000@crl.crl.com>
In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19980616210023.007f6370@mx.serv.net>

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a meaning less rant...

I don't see what all this fuss is over. The first person who asked about 
vi and started this all, I told to try pico. Ok, so you have to install 
Pine or whatnot to use it, big deal. Its easy, understandable, and just 
plane simple. For telneting, I think its perfect, since ever dos powerful 
dos editor I've used other then IBM's PCTEX v1.0 needs the mouse, which 
of course is non-existent in telnet. So, an ms-like editor is only 
server-side friendly, so personally I don't care. Vi definately seems 
useful to know, and of course can get you out of a few jams. So can 
edlin, but until recently, I'd forgetten it even existed, and while it 
might have been quicker to use when I've booted from floppy, its not to 
hard to quickly find edit somewhere or another and use it. Whatever you 
like, fine. Who cares? Use vi, use pico, use joe, or whatever you like. 
You can rant about it as much as you want, I like it, but lets just get 
down to truth. It doesn't matter what you use, as long as its small 
enough to be versatile, and is platform-compatable. There's no "right of 
passage," was there one from edit to notepad, or is learning Microsoft 
Word neccesary to being a knowledgable Windows user? Eventually your 
going to learn Word, Microsoft has forced that upon all who enter their 
abys, but does that mean you teach a newbie word before notepad?  I've 
used computer for my entire sentient life, but when I first ran into vi, 
I immediatly hit all the keys on the keyboard in an effort to leave that 
hell whole, and two months later found pico, and never looked back. Vi is 
fine, I never learned it..but I presume I will eventually..one day when I 
muster enough courage, or at least am bored enough to. So, if you want to 
use vi, go ahead. If you don't, fine. Just don't call it some "right of 
passage" or other such nonsense, cuz it just doesn't matter. Someday 
we'll all learn. Even those new to Windows are eventually learning that 
dos is more then an icon on the start menu, and so will those in *nix. 
Just remember, to each his own, and if people want to learn they will, at 
their own pace. Trying to force people like cramming food into a baby's 
mouth...there just going to spit it back up without getting any benefit 
from your effort...


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