Crystal Kolipe <[email protected]> writes: > On Sat, Oct 17, 2026 at 05:23:40PM +0200, [email protected] wrote: >> > On Fri, Oct 16, 2026 at 11:35:19AM +0000, nia wrote: >> > NetBSD is having an influx of new users. Some have mentioned having no >> > alternative screen editor to vi(1) in base is an obstacle to getting >> > their system configured. I've been trying to point new users to >> > xedit(1), but this doesn't help if they're in single-user mode or >> > can't get X running, or are limited to /rescue. >> > >> >> There is one "line (1D)" editor: ed(1). All the others are 2D even if >> they are masquerading behind curses as console i.e. "command line" >> utility and if the 2D environment is not correctly set up, you are >> screwed. Ed(1) is worth mastering. > > In case the 1D environment is not correctly set up, it's well worth mastering > 'echo' and the shell redirection :-).
True, but back when I was walking uphill both ways, the only editor was ed(1) (Sixth Edition Unix, 1977). It worked fine on a printing terminal. If you can type shell commands, it works -- no curses needed. It's in /bin so you can use it to fix fstab so you can mount /usr. But it is not beginner-friendly at all. The only diagnostic is '?', and it only prints lines when you explicitly ask.
