From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jun 26 01:23:13 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C3FE51065675 for ; Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:23:13 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from green_tiger@comcast.net) Received: from QMTA05.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net (qmta05.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net [76.96.62.48]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6F1758FC20 for ; Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:23:13 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from green_tiger@comcast.net) Received: from OMTA01.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net ([76.96.62.11]) by QMTA05.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net with comcast id 8Q7L1c0030EZKEL55R9yCH; Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:09:58 +0000 Received: from [192.168.1.2] ([69.250.45.68]) by OMTA01.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net with comcast id 8R9w1c00B1UFfxx3MR9xrb; Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:09:57 +0000 Message-ID: <4A441FE4.3070604@comcast.net> Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:09:56 -0400 From: "John L. Templer" User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.22 (X11/20090608) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: perryh@pluto.rain.com References: <4A430505.2020909@gmail.com> <4A430CDF.2010205@comcast.net> <4a432627.nNXzKFb0uYX/7NBi%perryh@pluto.rain.com> In-Reply-To: <4a432627.nNXzKFb0uYX/7NBi%perryh@pluto.rain.com> X-Enigmail-Version: 0.95.7 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: The question of moving vi to /bin X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:23:14 -0000 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 perryh@pluto.rain.com wrote: >> ed is an interactive program, and it has always been considered as >> such, at least since BSD 4.2. Way back then there were three main >> editors, ex, vi, and ed. > > ed goes back at least as far as the Bell Labs 6th Edition (PDP-11), > where it was the only editor in the distribution. ex and vi (and > termcap, without which there would be no vi) were written later, at > UC Berkeley. > >> If you had a nice video terminal then you used vi. But if you >> were stuck using a hard copy terminal like a Decwriter, then you >> used ex. And ed was the simplified (dumbed down) editor for >> newbies. > > More like, ed was the "original" Unix editor; ex and vi presumably > were inspired, at least in part, by a desire to improve on ed's > limitations. I doubt I'm the only one who muttered about the bother > of horsing around with ed, back when there was nothing else. > Ah, I didn't know that. When I started using Unix (on a BSD 4.2 system) vi was the editor of choice. It wasn't until much later that I learned about the ATT side of Unix. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iEYEARECAAYFAkpEH+IACgkQjkAlo11skeOOrwCbBrOYlc7+bHDOgKvHiLedCQof w3AAniMByMDTGAIEbWzTd+oTNVgB6VoU =0dSg -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----