Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Fri, 12 Sep 1997 07:44:22 -0400 (EDT)
From:      "Alex.Boisvert" <boia01@castor.GEL.USherb.CA>
To:        The Classiest Man Alive <ksmm@cybercom.net>
Cc:        freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: ATTN Emacs users; new Zile release 
Message-ID:  <Pine.SOL.3.91.970912073310.29707A-100000@castor>
In-Reply-To: <3.0.3.32.19970911213146.009c5680@cybercom.net>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help

I would like to mention that I tried Zile yesterday.  For the records, I 
like Emacs.  It's not my favorite editor, but I can't live with vi.. ;-)

When I ran Zile under a console, everything was colorfull and the keymaps 
where mostly ok.  Under a XTerm, the mapping for "Backspace" doesn't work 
out of the box. Also, "Delete" key does what "backspace" should do, 
insteand of doing delete-backward-char.

I think the most important aspect of an editor for newbies is to have the 
following functions available without thinking:

  Backspace = Delete character to the left
  Delete = Delete character to the right
  Arrow keys = Move cursor through text
  Loadé/Sae file = Direct key mapping (F2 and F3 respectively [usually])
                   (but could be any other key)

  Also, when you press an alphanumeric key, the corresponding character 
should appear on the screen (default in "insert mode").  This is not what 
"vi" gives.  You have to *know* that pressing "i" or "a" is needed 
*before* entering text.

 Other features should be listed in a "menu" at the top of the screen, 
along with an arbitrary key binding for executing this feature.

Seeing Zile, I will probably use it as a "lightweight editor" when 
Emacs is an overkill.

Regards,
Alex.




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.SOL.3.91.970912073310.29707A-100000>