A discussion that mentions the vi editor usually fuels the fatuous quasi-religious war driving the debate between whether or not it’s better than Emacs. This post is not about which one is better and it does not even cover Emacs. Truth be told, I do not have a great deal of experience with Emacs, and I’m sure it has its own merits and appeal to an audience with specific needs. The only argument being made is that Emacs is not commonly found by default on most Linux systems, so depending on the circumstances, it’s a smart move to get comfortable with vi. The benefits of learning your way around vi is the focal point of this topic, including how to defeat the universal headaches associated with it through good old fashioned enlightenment.
Continue reading Learning the vi/Vim Editor: The Why and the How“To me vi is Zen. To use vi is to practice Zen. Every command is a koan. Profound to the user, unintelligible to the uninitiated. You discover truth every time you use it.”
Satish Reddy