bsa@ncoast.UUCP (The WITNESS) (09/17/84)
[gollum :-)] > From: ado@elsie.UUCP (Arthur David Olson) > If I type the command > awk 'BEGIN { printf "xxx\t01234567890123456789\n" }' /dev/null > file > then > vi file > and tap the x key to delete the first of the three x's, > 'vi' ends up retransmitting everything on the line that follows the tab. > > Has anyone out there taught vi how to do this better? Try setting the :in: characteristic in your termcap (Insert Null; usually a tab will stay in place on smart terminals). Other than that, there isn't an easier way becuase one would break many terminals. --bsa