I hadn't seen a reply to this fly by, so I thought I'd let you
know it wasn't entirely ignored :)
It appears that ":s/pattern" produces the same result as
":s/pattern//". I couldn't find that behavior in the docs.
A hidden feature? (Or was I just not creative enough using
helpgrep?)
I'm not sure I've seen it anywhere in the docs, but I've noticed
the same behavior not only in ex/vi/vim, but also in ed. I was
originally hesitant to use it, not sure whether it was unintended
and if it would be there from version to version. However, after
finding it consistent from version 5.x of vim forward, in classic
vi, as well as ed, I presume it's an undocumented feature, and
have begun using it when I have the need.
I scoured through the help, looking in a multitude of places I
deemed sensible, and couldn't find anything documented either.
-tim
