IMO usability is not a static concept. To me it's a great usability and speed
feature that my hands never have to leave the alphanumeric part of the
keyboard.
The outstanding contribution of vi is that it needs virtually no per-machine
configuration. It's plug and play on any keyboard and display. That's why it
provides a great lowest common denominator editor for Unix systems.
I have used many powerful editors, including SlickEdit, CodeWright, Emacs,
etc.. I always gravitate to vi for smaller editing tasks because of its speed
and simplicity. Once learned it is easily remembered, having only a few
keystroke patterns that combine to access a multitude of features. Other
editors with distinct keystrokes assigned to every function fade from memory
much more quickly.
VIM is a great implementation of vi, with its syntax coloring, etc. However I
will admit that the help system is a bit much to tolerate.
Just an opinion from an crusty old Unix geek.
Steve
Bill Hudspeth wrote:
> Mallard:
>
> I agree with you 200%!
>
> I have wasted all kinds of time trying to work with "UNIX"
> tools that are outdated and clumsy, except for the geeks who
> thought they were cute. They aren't.
>
> I have been writing useful 'C' programs for 20+ years (obviously not in
> UNIX/LINUX) and have never seen such lack of concern for "software
> sability". - Yes, that's a real topic for commercial (bite my tongue)
> software developers.
>
> I am trying to find out whether my users (PhD & MD professionals) would
> like Linux better than Windoz. I can definitely say, NOT TODAY! I too
> have wasted time and money, really wanting this to be a successful
> venture. I am no M$ fan. However, I've never had to wander arounf in
> the dark so much using M$ products.
>
> I still (silly me) believe that Linux 'could be' a better system - but,
> not without a lot of effort directed toward usability.
>
> Bill
>
> Mallard wrote:
> >
> > Why did Mandrake pick the most geekyist editor for a setup that is
> > suposto be easy for users?
> >
> > Anyone else seen this joke of a program?
> >
> > With Vim all you have to do is spend a half hour trying to get it give
> > you help, then scroll all the way to the bottom of a super long
> > whoopy-do list of usless keyboard commands that you will forget a day
> > after you use them. Please get rid of it!
> >
> > Try ":qw" to get out and save what you just did WTF is that? Did a human
> > design this? That is if you figure out how to get into "insert" mode and
> > out of it again. GET RID OF THIS! TRASH IT! Ban it from the Net!
> >
> > Couldn't use "X" or "E" for exit or maybe cntl-X or Z, no - had to be
> > big geeks and do it some STUPID way. What the hell were these guys
> > thinking? Do they live on this planet? Why does Mandrake support this?
> > Trash it!
> >
> > Yea, I am pissed. All I wanted to do is set up my cron file ("crontab
> > -e") and that brings up the "default" editor. Searching all over to find
> > where the "default" editor is set up, couldn't find it. Another waste of
> > time.
> >
> > I don't know who thinks this is some great thing, WOW! It has zillions
> > of features! It's not 1982 anymore, we have word processors that have a
> > better human interface than terminals did, get a life geeks! (directed
> > at the guys who wrote and keep updating "vi" and "vim")
> >
> > Why not make the default editor a nice simple one, like maybe pico,
> > where the commands are shown. I can't see anyone using a command line
> > editor for much else than a few simple changes, there are better simple
> > editors in KDE and such. Damn that really pissed me off, and on top of
> > that you guys changed from "vi" (same stupid geeky crap) to "vim" (worse
> > geeky crap) in 7.1 did someone request this? I want to know who!
> >
> > Figure if someone is a big enough geek to want vim, let them spend their
> > life away trying to figure it out (and how to change the default editor
> > to do it).
> >
> > Thanks for the soapbox, I had my say (please forward this to whoever
> > makes these program installation choices, if he's not a big geek that
> > is).
> >
> > Sorry for the bandwith waste, had to get this off my chest. Anyone else
> > feel like I do about this?
