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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!ho95e!wcs
From: wcs@ho95e.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sources.wanted,comp.editors
Subject: Re: wanted: very simple screen editor
Message-ID: <1876@ho95e.ATT.COM>
Date: Fri, 20-Nov-87 01:43:35 EST
Article-I.D.: ho95e.1876
Posted: Fri Nov 20 01:43:35 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Nov-87 18:30:27 EST
References: <296@ginger.UUCP> <6698@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Reply-To: wcs@ho95e.UUCP (46133-Bill.Stewart,2G218,x0705,)
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs 46133, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 25
Xref: utgpu comp.sources.wanted:2486 comp.editors:19

In article <296@ginger.UUCP> mhb@ukfca1.UUCP () writes:
:-Does anyone know of a VERY VERY SIMPLE screen editor for dumb terminals.
:-What I want is something which a totally naive computer user can learn in
:-5 minutes. All it needs to do is
:-  - move the cursor around the screen, scrolling the text (arrow keys?)
:-  - insert text (by typing it)
:-  - delete text (using delete key?)
:-It should not spring any surprises when wrong keys are pressed (ie. vi,
:-emacs, etc. are not considered at all suitable).

Several people have suggested using emacs with most keys bound to
something innocuous like ring-bell.   You can do the same with vi, just
about as easily.  A modeless editor is a bit more appropriate here, but
if you use vi 3.9 with the showmode option on, it's pretty safe.  The
user needs arrow keys, enter/leave insert mode, delete char/word/line,
and ZZ to save files (so they don't need :).  You *could* even :map
most of the other keys to autoinsert, if you wanted to :-)!

I normally use vi; I've gotten used to orthogonal commands sets, and it's too
painful to tolerate emacs's different-looking-letters-for-similar-commands
syntax in spite of the benefits of modelessness, c-mode, nroff-mode,
windows, buffers, etc.  I wish somebody did a "MacWrite" for dumb terminals.
-- 
#				Thanks;
# Bill Stewart, AT&T Bell Labs 2G218, Holmdel NJ 1-201-949-0705 ihnp4!ho95c!wcs