editors in rescue mode

[Steve C. Lamb]

On Mon, Aug 11, 2008 at 03:48:50PM -0700, Smoot Carl-Mitchell wrote:
> On Mon, 2008-08-11 at 18:26 -0400, Steve C. Lamb wrote:
> > On Mon, Aug 11, 2008 at 03:16:37PM -0700, Smoot Carl-Mitchell wrote:
> > > vim is just an extension of vi.  On Ubuntu they are in fact the same
> > > binaries.  vi comands are a subset of vim commands.
> > 
> >     Uhm, no.  vim is not vi.  Vim is not "an extension" of vi.  vim is an
> > editor modeled after vi but is not the same code base.  It has a
> > bug-for-bug compatiblity mode with vi and this is what is loaded in Ubuntu
> > instead of vi.  However, calling vim the same as vi would be like callimg
> > GNU EMACS and XEMACS the same.  ;)
 
> You did not read what I wrote - I said vi is a subset of vim.  I did not say
> that vim is vi.  There is quite a difference. 

    I did read what you wrote.  In fact, if you look up at the top, you'll see
I not only read it....  I quoted it!

"vim is just an extension of vi"

    That is what you wrote, that is what I quoted.  Maybe you're not aware of
the vernacular but when something is "an extension of" a piece of software the
implication is that the extension cannot run without the piece of software it
is extending.  That is why Thunderbird/Firefox extensions are named such and
unable to run without the program they are extending.

    Furthermore the statement, "vi commands are a subset of vim commands" is
also false.  vim has a vi compatibility mode which not only restricts one to
only those commands present in vi but alters the behaviors and mimics bugs
so as to be compatible with the vi of yester-year.

    If one wants a detailed explination of what changes one can...
:help compat
    ...in vim.  

    So in short, vim is not an extension of vi (as you wrote and I quoted)
since it runs on its own nor is it a superset (as you wrote and I quoted)
since not only is it a superset of commands some of the fundimental behaviors
of vi are altered in vim.

-- 
         Steve C. Lamb         | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
       PGP Key: 1FC01004       | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
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