Oh dear Oh dear
I could guess a discussion of the merits of vi(m) would cause much argument.
I have been using UNIX variants for 12 years now.
And have run courses on UNIX and editors such as vi.
I also am a great fan of Windows based computing for ease of use purposes.
I also don't understand the problem - I have installed Mandrake 7 recently and
have edited all sorts of files from the GUI - why can't this be done here?
As far as ease of use - well yes - it is easier to use a GUI editor for small
changes.
There IS some learning to use any new program - especially if it is text based.
BUT for vi you only need to know 9 commands to do almost anything you want.
a - append after character
i - insert at character
x - delete current character
dd - delete line
ESC - exit editing mode
Next 3 for exiting:
wq - write changes (save) and quit
wq! - write changes and quit (forced) even if file is read only
q! - quit with no changes written
arrow keys - move around file
Main rule - always press ESCAPE key to ensure no commands are running
There are many more commands adding seriously powerful editing ability.
I think my message is - calm down and use what suits you best.
>On Mon, 14 Aug 2000, 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?
>>
>>
>
>You don't like vi? OK. It's your choice (thrust me, it's not mine! I
>love this editor!). But if you are too subjective and lazy to realize that
>it is one of the most powerfull text based editor available, then I think
>that your default editor should be ... Notepad.
>
>--
> << There's no place like ~ ! >>
>
>Jean-Philippe Gois
> e-systems - information technology
> Av Jean Mermoz 22
> B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium
> tel +32 (0) 71 34 94 00
>
>
>
