wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) (10/09/90)
>>My employer needs a simple, full screen editor that will run on a VAX 8250 >>running BSD 4.3-tahoe. >>I have both vi and emacs, but nether one of these are acceptable for this >>application. >Reconsider vi for this. Just don't try to teach them everything >all at once. My thoughts exactly. What do you REALLY need to use vi? cursor keys <ESC> i (forget a,I,A) x u (optional) J (maybe) ZZ Sure they're LOTS of things that will go slowly with only the above, but is there any text you cannot enter or edit? -- A host is a host from coast to coast.....wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu & no one will talk to a host that's close............(305) 255-RTFM Unless the host (that isn't close)......................pob 570-335 is busy, hung or dead....................................33257-0335
mhcoffin@watmsg.uwaterloo.ca (Michael Coffin) (10/09/90)
I'd reconsider emacs. Create a version with almost all the funky keys bound to no-op. All you really need are the cursor keys, backspace, and delete. A few years ago I tried to teach a computer-shy person to use vi. It was a disaster. The biggest problem was the multiple modes---she continually typed commands into the buffer, or text as commands. After a week or so, in desperation, I introduced her to emacs. She immediately started typing. Five minutes later she asked me if there was a way to delete whole words, or something like that. I told her how. A little while later she hit a wrong key and got in the minibuffer; I had to tell her about ctrl-g. Finally, half an hour later I told her how to exit. Her comment was This is easy! Why did you try to make me use that AWFUL vi? -mike
cbrandau@isis.cs.du.edu (carl brandauer) (10/13/90)
I have taught more than one hundred computer shy people (clerks and other low-level support staff) how to use vi productively in two a two day course. The choice of the command set and the proper cycling between command and text mode make a huge difference on how hard it is to learn vi.
jmccarty@euclid.ucsd.edu (Jon McCarty) (10/14/90)
In various articles, lots of people write: >>>My employer needs a simple, full screen editor that will run on a VAX 8250 >>>running BSD 4.3-tahoe. >>Reconsider vi for this. Just don't try to teach them everything >>all at once. > >My thoughts exactly. >What do you REALLY need to use vi? I've had the dubous pleasure of teaching hundreds of squealing freshmen how to use VI as a Unix lab assistant over the last couple of years, and I had a lot of success with a 5 minute presentation ("You ever used a computer word-processor before? No? Good, that's less un-learning!") and this print-out: ** BEGIN WASTED BANDWIDTH ** A QUICK GUIDE TO VI ------------------- Command Mode | Insert Mode ------------ | ----------- | Move k | Keys: h l | j | | i - insert before (left of) cursor \ | >----+----> (Now you can Type!) a - insert after (right of) cursor / | | x - delete one character <---+----- | hit the [ESC] key to go back dd - delete one line | to command mode | ZZ - Save & Quit | | u - undo last change | Note: You can delete multiple characters or lines by prefixing the appropriate command with a number, for example, type 5dd to delete 5 lines. ** END WASTED BANDWIDTH ** The 'i' vs. 'a' distinction turns out to be real important, 'cuz you need to be able to add to the end of a line. I usually throw 'J' in there too. ---- Jon internet: jmccarty@ucsd.edu bitnet: jmccarty@ucsd
nancym@microsoft.UUCP (Nancy McGough) (10/19/90)
In article <1990Oct9.013103.18799@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) writes: >What do you REALLY need to use vi? > > cursor keys > <ESC> > i (forget a,I,A) > x > u (optional) > J (maybe) > ZZ >Sure they're LOTS of things that will go slowly with only the >above, but is there any text you cannot enter or edit? When I first learned vi, the only way I could get from command mode to input mode was with i and it drove me crazy when I wanted to input text after the last character on a line -- I would use i to insert before the last character, retype the last character, then type the new text, then switch to command mode and use x to delete that pesky last character which was no longer the last character. My point is -- I think that "a" should be included in a minimal set of vi commands! Here's what I'd recommend for a minimal set: ESC Command Mode h left j down k up l right x delete character i Input Mode, insert before character a Input Mode, append after character o Input Mode, insert on a new line below current line :wq write (save edits) and quit :q! quit without saving edits For a little more power (in no particular order): I Input Mode, insert at beginning of current line A Input Mode, append to end of current line O Input Mode, insert on a new line above current line R Input Mode, replace text until ESC is pressed r Input Mode, replace character then return to Command Mode u undo last command dd delete line into buffer dw delete word into buffer D delete to end of line into buffer Y yank copy of current line into buffer P put buffer contents before p put buffer contents after cw change word until ESC is pressed ^ move to beginning of current line $ move to end of current line w move forward a word b move back a word J join next line with current line xp exchange current character and next character :1 move to line 1 :$ move to the last line CTRL+b move back a screen CTRL+f move forward a screen Note that you can prepend (is that a word?) a number to many of these commands. For example, 5dd deletes 5 lines. I think I got carried away here . . .! nancy
les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) (10/20/90)
In article <58374@microsoft.UUCP> nancym@microsoft.UUCP (Nancy McGough) writes: >In article <1990Oct9.013103.18799@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) writes: >>What do you REALLY need to use vi? >> >> cursor keys >> <ESC> >> i (forget a,I,A) >> x >> u (optional) >> J (maybe) >> ZZ >>Sure they're LOTS of things that will go slowly with only the >>above, but is there any text you cannot enter or edit? > >When I first learned vi, the only way I could get from command mode to >input mode was with i and it drove me crazy when I wanted to input text >after the last character on a line -- I would use i to insert before >the last character, retype the last character, then type the new text, >then switch to command mode and use x to delete that pesky last character >which was no longer the last character. My point is -- I think that >"a" should be included in a minimal set of vi commands! I'd teach D, A, dd, o, and O along with the set above right from the start for a couple of reasons. "A" is generally the peferred way to add to the end of a line since it also moves the cursor to the right place. If you need to delete something that is already there, DA is worth knowing about. Learning these will make that user aware that the upper/lower case distinction is important (for the time they accidentally leave caps-lock on), and hint at the power available from the other commands. Les Mikesell les@chinet.chi.il.us
clouds@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Kathy Strong) (10/22/90)
In article <58374@microsoft.UUCP> nancym@microsoft.UUCP (Nancy McGough) writes: > [stuff deleted] > >Here's what I'd recommend for a minimal set: > > [list deleted] Nancy hits it on the nose. As an net.newcomer.vi.idiot, she's listed exactly the commands I know (except she left out dd in the VERY basic set). >For a little more power (in no particular order): > > [another list deleted] These commands were all in my "handy dandy pocket guide to vi*" (the one that should have been subtitled ("*if you can read this, you're too damn close")... but Nancy's explanations were much less cryptic.. >I think I got carried away here . . .! > >nancy Judging from the postings I've been reading here, many may agree--but for my money, you can get carried away like that any time you like. --Kathy, vi.moron ========================================================================== | Kathy Strong | "Welcome to FUBAR Corp., where there's | | (Clouds moving slowly) | never enough time to do a job right, | | clouds@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu | but always enough time to do it over." |