Re: vi? vim?

["Andrew Smith" <rhml k1k2 com>]

> On 08:24 18 Jan 2002, Harry Putnam <reader newsguy com> wrote:
> | Panu Matilainen <panu matilainen nokia com> writes:
> | >> Why result of /bin/vi is like that? I think that is not vim but
> | >> vi. Anyone tell me about this...?
> | 
> | The binary in /bin/vi is a minimal version of vim as others have
> | pointed out.  What no one has mentioned so far is why it is there.
> | 
> | I think it is for emergency use when nothing but / is mounted.  It
> | will run happily with no access to libraries under /usr, and even
> | without access to /usr/share/terminfo.  Vim will not run  nicely
> | without access to both.  No access to /usr/share/terminfo will reak
> | havoc with some editors.
> 
> Yes, this is the reason.
> 
> Also note that vim has a whole X11 interface which to many of us seems
> like bloat - you can run something much more spartan and resource
> hungry by just saying "vi".
> 
> Disclaimer: I use nvi myself.
> -- 
> Cameron Simpson, DoD#743        cs zip com au   

I've mentioned this first point a while ago in guiness or seawolf ...

The default vim distro specifically disables the history at the ":"
prompt in the vi binary - it is documented even - so I guess there may
be other resons for the two separete binaries (conspiracy theory :-)

Removing this from vi when I upgraded to whatever version that did this
(I'd have to check - I can't remeber - and couldn't be bothered)
really pissed me off but when I worked out that vim in text mode does
token/language display in colours I decided to not give up on that
version of vi but aliased 'vi' to 'vim' (and made sure vim-enhanced
was installed)
(but of course was unhappy about the vim developer tactics :-)

Just one more point - there are 4 RPM's
vim-common (I guess the other 3 all use this)
vim-minimal (provides 'vi')
vim-enhanced (provides text vim with colours etc.)
vim-X11 (provides X11)
So you can ignore the X11 bloat by not installing it.
-- 
-Cheers
-Andrew

MS ... if only he hadn't been hang gliding!