[comp.sys.3b1] mailx: vi/emacs problem

car@trux.UUCP (Chris Rende) (03/01/91)

I am having a very strange problem with mailx that I can't figure out!

When I give mailx the 'vi' command, it replies:

emacs: not found

or something like that. (I don't have emacs on the system).

I can't figure out why the 'vi' command is trying to call emacs.
In my environment, the shell variable EDITOR is set to 'vi'.
In my .mailrc, I have a line like this: set EDITOR=vi

Why is mailx trying to call emacs?!?! Where else can I look?

car.
-- 
Christopher A. Rende           Central Cartage (Nixdorf/Pyramid/SysVR2/BSD4.3)
uunet!edsews!rphroy!trux!car   Multics,DTSS,Unix,Shortwave,Scanners,UnixPC/3B1
trux!car@uunet.uu.net          Minix 1.2,PC/XT,Mac+,TRS-80 Model I,1802 ELF
trux!ramecs!car     "I don't ever remember forgetting anything." - Chris Rende

thad@btr.BTR.COM (Thaddeus P. Floryan) (03/01/91)

In article <531@trux.UUCP> car@trux.UUCP (Chris Rende) writes:
>I am having a very strange problem with mailx that I can't figure out!
>
>When I give mailx the 'vi' command, it replies:
>
>emacs: not found
>
>or something like that. (I don't have emacs on the system).
>
>I can't figure out why the 'vi' command is trying to call emacs.
>In my environment, the shell variable EDITOR is set to 'vi'.
>In my .mailrc, I have a line like this: set EDITOR=vi
>
>Why is mailx trying to call emacs?!?! Where else can I look?

If you think YOU have problems ...

I've been frustrated for two weeks attempting to reply to email using mail[x]
(/usr/ucb/mail here at BTR) and always ending up with an empty buffer; i.e.
no "old" message to which I'm replying.  Have been having no problems with
rn or Pnews (because the docs for those were better).

Just a few minutes ago I discovered the "~v" command for mail[x], and I believe
that will solve MY problem (responding to email); for those who've sent email
to me here and haven't received a reply yet, stay tuned!

Along with the "~v" command was the comment that mail[x] uses the "VISUAL"
environmental variable to select the editor, and THAT may be your problem.

I've set all of EDITOR, VISUAL and FCEDIT to point to EMACS (since that's
my preference); you might wish to do the same to point to "vi".

Thad Floryan [ thad@btr.com (OR) {decwrl, mips, fernwood}!btr!thad ]