[comp.unix.questions] vi-like editor for the IBM PC

myron@nvuxl.UUCP (02/27/89)

I am curious if there is an editor software available that is similar (the more
the better) to the UNIX vi editor, but can be run from an IBM-PC in MS-DOS.

I would appreciate any help!

genemans@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Jan Genemans) (02/27/89)

myron@nvuxl.UUCP writes:

>I am curious if there is an editor software available that is similar (the more
>the better) to the UNIX vi editor, but can be run from an IBM-PC in MS-DOS.

I too would like to know where I could get my hands on one.
So could you please post it.  Thanks.



_______________________________________________________________________________
Jan K. Genemans, at USMMA                        genemans@eleazar.dartmouth.edu

rsmith@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Rusty Smith, MACC) (02/27/89)

In article <688@nvuxl.UUCP>, myron@nvuxl.UUCP writes...

>I am curious if there is an editor software available that is similar (the more
>the better) to the UNIX vi editor, but can be run from an IBM-PC in MS-DOS.
> 
>I would appreciate any help!

There was a version of Vi posted to Comp.binaries.ibm.pc on Feb 19. 

Rusty Smith			Internet:  rsmith@vms.macc.wisc.edu
MACC Data Communications	Bitnet:    rsmith@wiscmacc
(608)  263-6307			Univ. of Wisconsin @ Madison

ked@garnet.berkeley.edu (Earl H. Kinmonth) (02/28/89)

In article <688@nvuxl.UUCP> myron@nvuxl.UUCP writes:

>the better) to the UNIX vi editor, but can be run from an IBM-PC in MS-DOS.

MKS (Mortice Kern Systems)
35 King Street
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 2W9
800-265-2797 (voice orders)
519-884-8861 (fax)

Offers a variety of packages that include vi, awk, and other **IX utilities.
These are as close to the "real" thing as you can get under MiSerable Dos.

No connection with the company except as a very, very satisfied user.

nolan@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Michael C. Nolan) (02/28/89)

Custom Software Systems P.O. Box 678, Natick, MA 01760 (617) 653-2555
makes PC/VI (tm) which behaves exactly like vi as far as is possible under
DOS.  It seems to work fine and comes with a complete vi manual, which finally 
tells me how my unix vi works.  I don't remember exactly but I think it was 
about $150.

I have no connection with the company except as a satisfied user.
-- 
nolan@hiips.lpl.arizona.edu;   ...!noao!solpl!hiips

wad@houxv.ATT.COM (R.WADSACK) (02/28/89)

In article <688@nvuxl.UUCP>, myron@nvuxl.UUCP writes:
> I am curious if there is an editor software available that is similar (the more
> the better) to the UNIX vi editor, but can be run from an IBM-PC in MS-DOS.
> 
> I would appreciate any help!


 
Mortice Kern Systems, Inc. sells a version of 'vi' that will
run on your PC.  It is claimed to be the "best UNIX(R) editor
available today for your PC".  It's advertised as fully
compatible with UNIX(R) SVR3.  It retails for $75.00 (9/88).
Call them at 1-800-265-2797 for further info.
 

saal@sfsup.UUCP (+Saal S.) (02/28/89)

In article <1184@houxv.ATT.COM+ wad@houxv.ATT.COM (R.WADSACK) writes:
+In article <688@nvuxl.UUCP>, myron@nvuxl.UUCP writes:
+> I am curious if there is an editor software available that is similar (the more
+> the better) to the UNIX vi editor, but can be run from an IBM-PC in MS-DOS.

+> I would appreciate any help!

+Mortice Kern Systems, Inc. sells a version of 'vi' that will
+run on your PC.  It is claimed to be the "best UNIX(R) editor
+available today for your PC".  It's advertised as fully
+compatible with UNIX(R) SVR3.  It retails for $75.00 (9/88).
+Call them at 1-800-265-2797 for further info.

How does this vi deal with the ".exrc" file?
I assume there is a variable you can set somewhere
that sets the name?
-- 
Sam Saal         ..!attunix!saal
Vayiphtach HaShem et Peah HaAtone

probinso@psu-cs.UUCP (Pat Robinson) (03/01/89)

In article <688@nvuxl.UUCP> myron@nvuxl.UUCP writes:
>I am curious if there is an editor software available that is similar (the more
>the better) to the UNIX vi editor, but can be run from an IBM-PC in MS-DOS.
>

Yes its called vi as well.  We have it here and it runs on your basic IBM
compatible/MS-DOS.  I don't work with it alot, although I know some of the 
commands are different.


Pat Robinson     

UUCP:    {ucbvax, decvax, allegra, hplabs}!tektronix!psu-cs!probinso 
CSNET:   probinso@cs.pdx.edu
ARPANET: probinso%cs.pdx.edu@relay.cs.net

w-colinp@microsoft.UUCP (Colin Plumb) (03/01/89)

ked@garnet.berkeley.edu (Earl H. Kinmonth) wrote:
> MKS (Mortice Kern Systems)
> 
> Offers a variety of packages that include vi, awk, and other **IX utilities.
> These are as close to the "real" thing as you can get under MiSerable Dos.
> 
> No connection with the company except as a very, very satisfied user.

I'd like to second this recommendation.  You can ^Z out of vi back
into sh (the Korn shell)!  Everything is wonderfullest!

Here's the list of what's in the "MKS Toolkit":
alias	(part of /bin/sh)
awk	(new awk, as described in "The AWK Programming Language")
banner
basename
break	(part of /bin/sh)
c	(no, not cc)
cal
cat
cd	(also chdir)
chmod
cmp
comm
compress
continue(part of /bin/sh)
cp	(no -r, sigh)
cpio
crypt	(adds DES encryption to Unix utility)
ctags
cut
date
dd
deroff
dev	(Messy-DOS specific; prints info on all installed device drivers)
df
diff
diff3
dirname
.	(part of /bin/sh)
du
echo	(separate and part of /bin/sh)
ed
env
eval	(part of /bin/sh)
exec	(part of /bin/sh)
exit	(part of /bin/sh)
expand
export	(part of /bin/sh)
expr
fc	(also r and history; part of /bin/sh)
fg
file	(uses /etc/magic)
find
fmt
fold
getopt
grep	(also fgrep and egrep
gres	(stolen from MINIX - simple subset of sed)
head
help	(sorry, no man pages, but this gives a few lines of help)
init	(reads /etc/inittab and everything)
jobs
join
kill
lc
let	(part of /bin/sh)
line
login	(uses /etc/passwd and everything)
ls
mkdir
mv
nl
nm
od	(can also dump raw disks)
pack
passwd
paste
pcat
pg	(and more)
pr
print	(part of /bin/sh)
prof	(DOS-specific implementation; requires no special linking)
ps
pwd	(separate and part of /bin/sh)
read	(part of /bin/sh)
readonly(builtin alias in /bin/sh)
return	(part of /bin/sh)
rev
rm
rmdir
sed
set	(part of /bin/sh)
sh	(full korn shell including command-line editing; also includes rsh)
shift	(part of /bin/sh)
size
sleep
sort
spell
split
strings
strip
sum
switch	(lets you use - instead of / as option char in Messy-DOS)
sync
tail
tee
test	(separate and part of /bin/sh; also [)
time	(separate and part of /bin/sh)
times	(part of /bin/sh)
touch
tr
trap	(part of /bin/sh)
true	(part of /bin/sh; also :)
tty
typeset	(part of /bin/sh; nothing to do with troff or typesetting)
ulimit	(part of /bin/sh; of limited usefulness)
unalias	(part of /bin/sh)
uname
uncompress
unexpand
uniq
unpack
unset	(part of /bin/sh)
unstrip	(Messy-DOS specific; puts symbols from a .map file into a .exe)
vi
wc
whence	(part of /bin/sh)
which
who
yacc
-- 
	-Colin (uunet!microsoft!w-colinp)

"Don't listen to me.  I never do."

wnp@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Wolf Paul) (03/01/89)

In article <4872@sfsup.UUCP> saal@/doc/dsg/saalUUCP (xt1124-+Saal S.) writes:
>+run on your PC.  It is claimed to be the "best UNIX(R) edito ...
>
>How does this vi deal with the ".exrc" file?
>I assume there is a variable you can set somewhere
>that sets the name?

It uses $HOME/ex.rc, as well EXINIT env. variable. So you can say
something like "so virc" in your EXINIT, if you don't want to use
the ex.rc file.

And I agree that it is a pretty good vi editor -- use it all the time!

Wolf
-- 
Wolf N. Paul * 3387 Sam Rayburn Run * Carrollton TX 75007 * (214) 306-9101
UUCP:   killer!wnp                    ESL: 62832882
DOMAIN: wnp@killer.dallas.tx.us       TLX: 910-380-0585 EES PLANO UD

wnp@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Wolf Paul) (03/02/89)

In article <776@microsoft.UUCP> w-colinp@microsoft.uucp (Colin Plumb) writes:
>ked@garnet.berkeley.edu (Earl H. Kinmonth) wrote:
>> MKS (Mortice Kern Systems)
>> 
>> Offers a variety of packages that include vi, awk, and other **IX utilities.
>> These are as close to the "real" thing as you can get under MiSerable Dos.
>
>I'd like to second this recommendation.  You can ^Z out of vi back
>into sh (the Korn shell)!  Everything is wonderfullest!
>
>Here's the list of what's in the "MKS Toolkit":
> ...
>cpio

Very good! It has a (non-standard) option to compress each file before
adding it to the archive; unfortunately limited by the fact that MKS'
compress does not support 16-bit compression. Another limitation is 
that of course, such compressed cpio archives are not directly
unpackable under UNIX -- you have to unpack them, and then manually
run each extracted file through uncompress. Maybe this feature could
be added to afio or pax, or maybe MSK could release the source for
their cpio to the net? But I'd understand if they didn't :-).

>gres	(stolen from MINIX - simple subset of sed)

I don't think that's true -- gres was in my first copy of the Toolkit
about a year before MINIX was published.

I think both the Toolkit and MINIX got both the name and the idea from
an earlier UNIX version.

>init	(reads /etc/inittab and everything)

It even lets you speciy a device other than con for shell i/o -- i.e
start a login on com1, so you can call your machine on the phone.
Only problem with that, last time I tried it, was that it still expected
to read the password from the console keyboard, so you could only
log into accounts without a password that way. Maybe that's been fixed --
comments from MKS?

>login	(uses /etc/passwd and everything)

See note above about password always being read from console

>switch	(lets you use - instead of / as option char in Messy-DOS)

But you should really use their shell rather than COMMAND.COM -- even
with this option.

>uname

Uses the volume label of the boot disk as the node name; the other options
return the DOS version/release and the CPU type

>compress
>uncompress
>zcat

Unfortunately these handle only 12-bit compression and can't handle
UNIX-compressed files (usually 16-bit)

>vi

By itself, worth the price of the Toolkit.


I have no connection to MKS either, except as a satisfied customer.

Wolf
-- 
Wolf N. Paul * 3387 Sam Rayburn Run * Carrollton TX 75007 * (214) 306-9101
UUCP:   killer!wnp                    ESL: 62832882
DOMAIN: wnp@killer.dallas.tx.us       TLX: 910-380-0585 EES PLANO UD

w-colinp@microsoft.UUCP (Colin Plumb) (03/02/89)

saal@/doc/dsg/saalUUCP (xt1124-+Saal S.) wrote:
> How does this vi deal with the ".exrc" file?
> I assume there is a variable you can set somewhere
> that sets the name?

"EDITOR INITIALIZATION

     At editor startup time, any initialization code is executed.  These
are EX commands located either in the environment or in a file.  If the en-
vironment variable EXINIT is found it is executed.  Otherwise the file
ex.rc is sourced.  It is sought under the current directory, then under
the directory goven in the HOME environmant variable if that variable
exists; then under the root (ROOTDIR or "/").  See environ(5) for
more information on these environmant variables.

LIMITS

    * Maximum number of lines: 50K (50 * 1024).
    * Length of longest line: 1K (1024) bytes including \r\n.
    * Longest command line: 160 bytes
    * Length of filenames: 128 bytes
    * Length of remembered regular expressions: 256 bytes
    * Number of map, map! or abbreviate entries: 64 each.
    * Number of saved keystrokes for ".' in VI: 128.
    * Length of the lhs of map, map! or abbreviate: 10 bytes.
    * Max number of characters in a tag name: 30.
    * Number of characters in a ":" escape from VI: 128.
    * Number of characters in the global command: 256 including newlines.
    * Requires 128K of memory plus the set option maxbuffers K of auxilli-
      ary memory.  Auxilliary memory is freed during ctrl-Z, :stop, :! :w!,
      .,.!, and :r! commands.  During startup, maxbuffers is changes
      to reflect available memory; at least 32K is required."

By the way, :set scrupdate=1 currently speeds things up a lot.  It's
considered a bug that this is necessary, and will eventually get fixed.
(It doesn't work on some systems, and the detection logic is currently
mixed up.)
-- 
	-Colin (uunet!microsoft!w-colinp)

"Don't listen to me.  I never do." - The Doctor

brown@nicmad.UUCP (Vidiot) (03/03/89)

In article <1184@houxv.ATT.COM> wad@houxv.ATT.COM (R.WADSACK) writes:
<Mortice Kern Systems, Inc. sells a version of 'vi' that will
<run on your PC.  It is claimed to be the "best UNIX(R) editor
<available today for your PC".  It's advertised as fully
<compatible with UNIX(R) SVR3.  It retails for $75.00 (9/88).
<Call them at 1-800-265-2797 for further info.

According to the latest PC Connections catalog, the MKS VI (v 2.3) is
listed at $149, with their price being $135.

Call 1-800-336-1166 for ordering and free (UPS gnd) shipping.
-- 
	       harvard-\	 att--\
Vidiot            ucbvax!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown
	       rutgers-/      decvax--/
	ARPA/INTERNET: nicmad!brown%astroatc.UUCP@spool.cs.wisc.edu

rac@sherpa.UUCP (Roger A. Cornelius) (03/04/89)

From article <7374@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>, by wnp@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Wolf Paul):
- In article <776@microsoft.UUCP> w-colinp@microsoft.uucp (Colin Plumb) writes:
->ked@garnet.berkeley.edu (Earl H. Kinmonth) wrote:
->> MKS (Mortice Kern Systems)
- 
->compress
->uncompress
->zcat
- 
- Unfortunately these handle only 12-bit compression and can't handle
- UNIX-compressed files (usually 16-bit)

If I remember correctly, the MKS compress programs will handle up to 14
bit compression.  One thing I don't like about them though, is they
won't compress/decompress in place.  They only write to stdout, so to
do something like 'compress -d *.c', requires a for loop or something
similar.

Roger

bga@bgalli.eds.com (Billy G. Allie) (03/04/89)

In article <7374@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>, wnp@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Wolf Paul) writes:
< [refering to the MKS cpio command]
< Very good! It has a (non-standard) option to compress each file before
< adding it to the archive; unfortunately limited by the fact that MKS'
< compress does not support 16-bit compression. Another limitation is 
< that of course, such compressed cpio archives are not directly
< unpackable under UNIX -- you have to unpack them, and then manually
< run each extracted file through uncompress.

Archives created with the -z (non-standard) option of the MKS cpio command
can be unpacked with the following command (filename is the name of the
compressed archive file):

	zcat filename | cpio -ic

assuming that the '-c' option was used in creating the archive.  In fact the
'-z' option is meant equivalent with the following pipelines:

	MKS command		     UNIX pipeline
	----------------------       ---------------------------------------
	cpio -oz<other options> <--> cpio -o<other options> | compress -b 14
	cpio -iz<other options> <--> uncompress | cpio -i<other options>

BTW, the -z option was added because MS-DOS does not have multi-tasking or
true pipes.  To compress the archive on MS-DOS using pipes would require
a temporary file big enough to hold the content of the entire archive.  By
building the compression into cpio, this temporary file is not needed.

< [refering to the MKS compress, uncompress and zcat commands]
< Unfortunately these handle only 12-bit compression and can't handle
< UNIX-compressed files (usually 16-bit)

These commands can handle up to 14-bit compression modes.  This is not a
great concern to me since I have a version of compress that will handle
16-bit compression on MS-DOS.

One fact that wasn't mentioned is the capability of the MKS Korn shell has
of passing up to 5Kbytes of arguments to the MS-DOS programs.  Of course, the
programs must know how to access these arguments (all MKS toolkit programs do
this).

I have no connection to MKS except as a satisfied customer.
-- 
____	   | Billy G. Allie	| Internet..: bga@bgalli.eds.com
|  /|	   | 7436 Hartwell	| UUCP......: uunet!{mcf|edsews}!bgalli!bga
|-/-|----- | Dearborn, MI 48126	| Compuserve: 76337,2061
|/  |LLIE  | (313) 582-1540	| Genie.....: BGALLIE

root@conexch.UUCP (Larry Dighera) (03/09/89)

In article <7374@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> wnp@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Wolf Paul) writes:
>In article <776@microsoft.UUCP> w-colinp@microsoft.uucp (Colin Plumb) writes:
>>ked@garnet.berkeley.edu (Earl H. Kinmonth) wrote:
>>Here's the list of what's in the "MKS Toolkit":
>>compress
>>uncompress
>>zcat
>
>Unfortunately these handle only 12-bit compression and can't handle
>UNIX-compressed files (usually 16-bit)

	[followup set to comp.sys.ibm.pc]

You can get a copy of compress that will do 16-bit compression under
PC-DOS from The Consultants' Exchange BBS.  Call (714) 842-5851 and 
login as bbs (lower case).  In the unix file area you will find several
useful unix utilities that have been ported to PC-DOS.  There is also
a version of uncompress that will uncompress 16-bit files in only
256K of RAM. 

The file utools.arc contains many useful unix utilities.  Here is a 
list of it's contents:

Name          Length    Stowage    SF   Size now  Date       Time    CRC
============  ========  ========  ====  ========  =========  ======  ====
cat.exe          10536  Crunched   21%      8363  21 Sep 87   2:48a  7413
cd.exe            8624  Crunched   23%      6707  21 Sep 87   2:48a  176e
chmod.exe         8820  Crunched   21%      6992  21 Sep 87   2:48a  ddf2
cp.exe           12936  Crunched   18%     10650  21 Sep 87   2:48a  7143
cpio.exe         25364  Crunched   15%     21710   7 Oct 87   8:36a  d92c
dbackup.exe      20230  Squeezed   13%     17679  21 Sep 87   2:48a  eb1c
dbackupv.c       16185  Crunched   51%      7935  21 Sep 87   2:47a  f90f
dbackupv.man      6676  Crunched   48%      3485  21 Sep 87   2:47a  c9cf
drestore.exe     21956  Squeezed   14%     19053  21 Sep 87   2:48a  75ea
du.exe            8752  Crunched   22%      6879  21 Sep 87   2:48a  c930
find.exe         12296  Crunched   17%     10280  21 Sep 87   2:53a  770b
ls.exe           15874  Crunched   16%     13416  21 Sep 87   2:48a  24a8
mkdir.exe         6624  Crunched   23%      5160  21 Sep 87   2:48a  bfce
mv.exe           13038  Crunched   18%     10730  21 Sep 87   2:48a  753d
od.exe           15870  Crunched   15%     13572  21 Sep 87   2:48a  de98
pr.exe           14714  Crunched   17%     12296  21 Sep 87   2:48a  0aac
rm.exe           10014  Crunched   21%      7976  21 Sep 87   2:48a  24b0
rmdir.exe         6626  Crunched   23%      5151  21 Sep 87   2:48a  dbda
touch.exe        11924  Crunched   19%      9681  21 Sep 87   2:48a  36fa
utod.exe         10962  Crunched   21%      8768  21 Sep 87   2:48a  831a
utools.doc       23801  Crunched   54%     11073  21 Sep 87   3:46a  1e58
wc.exe           10382  Crunched   22%      8186  21 Sep 87   2:48a  08b1
        ====  ========            ====  ========
Total     22    292204             23%    225742  


-- 
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