----- Original message ----- > > Still I wonder why you try so much to stay modeless. Modes are a real > > advantage because each mode offers a separate editor. Take vi: You can > > edit in normal mode (= the actual vi mode) or in ex mode or in insert > > mode (e.g. with ^W, ^U). You have the choice which editor (mode) you > > use for some editing task. Ed has modes, too: Command and insert mode. > > > > Surely, the problems are knowing in which mode you're in and switching > > modes. But in return, each mode lets you re-use your keyboard keys > > (the optimum) and for each mode you can design a new editor that's > > best suited for the kind of editing this mode is intended to do. > > Why would you want several editors? The problem with vi and mutt is that > they have all these keybindings; hence you can on occasion find yourself > in some crazy dark key combination that you didn't mean to be in. > > A simple editor probably shouldn't have any more keybindings than, say, > surf; in fact one or two less: page up/down, up/right/left/down, and > find. One doesn't need modes for that. If you want to do something > wacked out to your file (like go to the third word on the 4th sentence > and delete every vowel), that should probably be done *outside* the > editor. > > Peter > > > -- > sic dicit magister P > PhD Candidate > Collaborative Programme in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy > University of Toronto > http://individual.utoronto.ca/peterjh
I own a keyboard that has no pgup/pgdn, or arrow keys. My 2 cents. Jon.
