Re:Modern terminal-based text editor
by mikegerwitz on Friday September 29, 2017 @09:06AM
(#15364854)
> they don't even know how to exit the program
Vim lists `:q' and `:help' prominently in the middle of the screen when you first start it. If you try to exit with C-c (in Normal mode), or C-c C-c (in Insert), you get this message:
"Type :quit<Enter> to exit Vim"
> Vim lists `:q' and `:help' prominently in the middle of the screen when you first start it.
Only when you start it by itself intentionally, not when you want to edit something and your $EDITOR is not set, then you end up in vim without an idea, how to quit.
I remember (in the mid-90s) making another telnet session and killing vi. Swearing in the process. Yes, I later learned the :q! command.
Nano really gets the job done for people who have no clue about editor usage. If you only need to edit a few lines in a file once a month, immediate accessibility Nano provides is more valuable than powerful features that take time to memorize and absorb into muscle memory.
Emacs, Vim are for people who use Nano enough to start feeling uncomfortable.