[aclug-L] FW: Editing with vi

["Dale W Hodge" <dwh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

LINUX DESKTOP APPLICATIONS --- October 11, 2001
Published by ITworld.com -- changing the way you view IT
http://www.itworld.com/newsletters
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HIGHLIGHTS

* Lacking any graphical user interface makes vi a powerful but
  complicated text editor.
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Don't Forget Vi
By Eric Foster-Johnson

After covering cross-platform editing tools, I received numerous email
responses pointing out that I had not mentioned the editor vi. Vi, one
of the oldest UNIX text editors, is still in widespread use and, yes,
versions do exist for Windows and other platforms, making it a cross-
platform tool as well.

Most Linux distributions include at least one (if not more) enhanced
versions of vi, typically elvis and vim. Of these, vim seems to get the
most votes for the extra editing features it offers. Vim, short for vi
improved, is available for free at http://www.vim.org. At the vim
download site (http://www.vim.org/download.html), you can download
versions of vim for Windows, UNIX/Linux, OS/2, Amiga, Atari, MacOS,
BeOS, VMS, and even DOS, although some of the less popular platform
versions are out of date. You can download pre-built binary versions
from http://www.vim.org/binaries.html. You'll find quite a lot of UNIX
and Linux versions available, and even a Windows CE version.

My co-author on "Teach Yourself Linux", Steve Oualline, is a vim fan.
We wrote an extended vim tutorial, called the Vim Cookbook, at
http://www.oualline.com/vim-cook.html. A word of warning, though, vi,
even enhanced by vim, is not for the faint of heart. It works on the
idea of modes with keyboard commands to switch between modes. For
example, typing the letter "i" enters insert mode, and Esc drops back
into command mode. This use of modes and keyboard commands can make vi
hard to learn for newcomers. Vi is not a graphical application.

I used vi and clones like vim for years until I gradually switched to
more graphical text editors. Especially combined with xterm or other
shell windows, you can become really productive with vi, using the
shell window ability to select and paste.

About the author(s)
-------------------
Eric Foster-Johnson has written 14 books on Linux, Unix, programming
and open source tools. Eric can be reached at erc@xxxxxxxxxxxx or at
http://www.pconline.com/~erc.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The Elvis Text Editor
http://itw.itworld.com/GoNow/a14724a43594a76028222a1

The Vi Editor and its clones
http://itw.itworld.com/GoNow/a14724a43594a76028222a2

Mastering the VI editor
http://itw.itworld.com/GoNow/a14724a43594a76028222a3

The Berkeley Vi Editor Home Page
http://itw.itworld.com/GoNow/a14724a43594a76028222a5

A Beginner's guide to vi and ex
http://itw.itworld.com/GoNow/a14724a43594a76028222a0
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ITWORLD.COM NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Index of Linux Desktop Applications
http://www.itworld.com/nl/lnx_desktop/

No More Whining for Microsoft Office
http://www.itworld.com/nl/lnx_desktop/11162000/

Keeping Your Browser Options Open
http://www.itworld.com/nl/lnx_desktop/11232000/
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