[net.micro.pc] MS-DOS vi

korn@datagen.UUCP (07/21/86)

>I'm looking for a good editor for programming under MS-DOS and have yet
>to find one.  Ideally, I'd like to run vi or emacs, but I haven't the time
>to port those editors over.  We do have a UNIX source license, so if anyone
>out there HAS a vi for MS-DOS, we would be very interested.  Otherwise,
>here are some of our criterea for the ideal editor:

PC/VI is a full implementation of UNIX VI version 3.9 (which is what
comes with System V release 2).  It is $149 for the first copy and $75 for
each copy after that.  It is available from:

	Custom Software System
	PO Box 678
	Natick MA   01760
	617-653-2555

John Korn
Data General
{allegra, ihnp4, decvax}!datagen!korn

brimoe@hope.UUCP (Brian Bender) (07/23/86)

> 
> >I'm looking for a good editor for programming under MS-DOS and have yet
> >to find one.  Ideally, I'd like to run vi or emacs, but I haven't the time
> >to port those editors over.  We do have a UNIX source license, so if anyone
> >out there HAS a vi for MS-DOS, we would be very interested.  Otherwise,
> >here are some of our criterea for the ideal editor:
> 
> PC/VI is a full implementation of UNIX VI version 3.9 (which is what
> comes with System V release 2).  It is $149 for the first copy and $75 for
> each copy after that.  It is available from:
> 
> 	Custom Software System
> 	PO Box 678
> 	Natick MA   01760
> 	617-653-2555
> 

  MANX Aztec C compiler system has a editor called 'Z' which is VERY close
to VI they say "if you know vi you know Z."
Also the development system from Aztec is very nice for software development.


"I don't want to kill you, and you don't want to be dead!"

brian(moe)@ucr

spf@bonnie.UUCP (Steve Frysinger) (07/24/86)

> > >out there HAS a vi for MS-DOS, we would be very interested.  Otherwise,
> > >here are some of our criterea for the ideal editor:
> > 
> > PC/VI is a full implementation of UNIX VI version 3.9 (which is what
> > comes with System V release 2).  
> 
>   MANX Aztec C compiler system has a editor called 'Z' which is VERY close
> to VI they say "if you know vi you know Z."
> Also the development system from Aztec is very nice for software development.
I've used both the Manx "Z" vi and PC/VI, and I've got a lot of
hours (lines?) logged on UNIX vi.  In my opinion, PC/VI is THE
way to go.  It's the real thing.  Conversely, Manx "Z" vi fell
short in MANY areas (like no global substitutes, for gosh sakes!).
The MANX editor is simply NOT vi, and not funtionally sufficient
as a text editor even if you don't care about vi compatibility.

Steve Frysinger
***
  Why would I waste my time expressing someone else's opinion?

ignatz@aicchi.UUCP (Ihnat) (08/08/86)

>	I've used both the Manx "Z" vi and PC/VI, and I've got a lot of
>	hours (lines?) logged on UNIX vi.  In my opinion, PC/VI is THE
>	way to go.  It's the real thing.  Conversely, Manx "Z" vi fell
>	short in MANY areas (like no global substitutes, for gosh sakes!).
>	The MANX editor is simply NOT vi, and not funtionally sufficient
>	as a text editor even if you don't care about vi compatibility.

>	Steve Frysinger

Steve, be careful--specify what release of 'z' you used!  The shortcoming
you mentioned (no global substitutes) went away *long* ago!  The current
release of 'z', distributed with the Aztec 3.40A compiler release, is
version 1.4, dated 11/20/85.

'Z' is, by and large, today exactly what they say it is--basic VI.  You're
missing the things you might expect--named buffers, the Lisp and NROFF
oriented positioning, etc.  Possibly the most painful shortcoming is the
fact that it must be able to fit the file being edited in its (approx.
50K) memory buffer.  (As a practical matter for source editing, this is
only rarely a problem.)  But as to the command set for normal programming,
and the current bugs (especially as of 1.4), it's VERY vi-like.

HOWEVER--PC/VI appears to be the clear winner as a true VI-like editor.
Of course, you've got to pay for it, while you get 'z' with the Commercial
Development package from Azted.

Just a closer--when you issue an opinion, positive OR negative, concerning
any commercial product to the net, please indicate the last time you actually
used it, and what release/version it was at the time.  In this particular
case, I knew that Steve must have used an old version of 'z'; but somebody
who didn't would have had obsolete information on which to make a decision.

-- 
	Dave Ihnat
	Analysts International Corporation
	(312) 882-4673
	ihnp4!aicchi!ignatz || ihnp4!homebru!ignatz