On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 20:52:17 +0200, Mike Henker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Hi yesterday I installed OpenBSD 3.7 seem to be all ok, my question is >how I can edit the files of the operating system,what editor you >recommand? (I m a newbie) If isn t in the default installation how can I >install it? I saw the FAQ and the man but I can t find info about this >doubt. Thanks > >Salutes, >Mike Hi Mike, Welcome to unix. Questions on public lists regarding which text editor to use often result in lengthy and heated discussions, so asking about them is somewhat taboo. Choice of the text editor one "normally" uses is actually a matter of personal preference more than anything else. The things you need to know: 0.) The more powerful an editor is, the more difficult it is to learn and use. 1.) Figure out the difference between a modeless, modal and command driven editors. Windows notepad is modeless -as you type, stuff shows up in your file. vi is modal -it has a text entry mode (i.e. like notepad) and a command mode. emacs is command driven -a different kind of beast similar to a modal editor but based on key sequences. 2.) Learn vi -The reason you should learn vi is some incarnation of vi will most likely be on darn near every unix system you use. When nothing else is installed, you end up being forced to use vi, so you better know how to use it. 3.) Learn ed -If vi is not installed, ed probably is. Some ancient systems don't have vi but the odds of coming across such a system are fairly slim. 4.) Learn emacs -The reason is emacs is a different flavor of powerful editor and is widely used (installed). 5.) pico is a very simple editor that is friendly to new people who have only worked with modeless editors like MS notepad. If you just want to edit the damn file without destroying it or giving up in frustration, pico is a good answer that works in a familiar way. pico is part of the pine email client available in the OpenBSD ports/packages collection. 6.) There are countless editors out there, take the time to learn as many editors as you can so you can figure out what works best for you. The very best thing you can do for yourself when learning unix is do *NOT* install a gui (X11) until you know how to install, configure and actually use the operating system and applications from the command line. This will force you to learn the system and remember where the heck everything is. And yes, you will hate me for telling you not to install a GUI, you will hate me for telling you to learn ed and emacs but most of all, you will never forgive me for telling you to learn vi. Personally, I use vi most of the time unless I'm doing work in lisp and then I'll use emacs for the deep integration it offers. Kind Regards, JCR -- vi vi vi -The number of the beast.
