vi or emacs for editing Python on Linux?

[Steve Lamb]

On Sun, 23 Dec 2001 17:18:39 -0000, Michael Thompson
<mike at spam.block.primeval.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> I don't think the 'learn vi as it is everywhere' argument to be bogus.  If
> you work in a large company and support UNIX machines scattered all over the
> world then the availability of vi is something you can depend on.
> Furthermore it is a powerful efficient editor and works well over slow
> network connections! Obviously one can configure their own personal
> workstation to their own tastes. Reconfiguring company or even customer
> machines usually isn't an option!

    *sigh*  Fine,you had to bring it up.  Michael, I *do* work on unix
systems scattered across the nation and my personal workspace is not on every
single one.  You know what is, though?  ssh.  That means scp is there so when
I need to get something to/from that machine I can always scp to another
machine, edit, scp back.

    Furthermore, when it comes to programming, I would hope that a company
that has machines all over the world would have learned the joys of a CVS
server which would also fill in on the above.  Edit on one machine, commit,
ssh to the machine that needs it, cvs update.

    Knowing vi because vi is "everywhere" is bogus because in nearly any
production environment that I know of, except for ones that are constructed on
theory by vi people trying to prove one MUST know vi, there is very little
need to edit on the local machine.

    The one legit exception is, of course, first installing the system.  This,
too, is bogus because there are two unix variants I can think of off the top
of my head which do *NOT* have vi installed by default until after one could
install other things.

    Conclusion, having to know vi because "vi is everywhere" has been bogus
for about a decade and it is about damn time that the vi people stop spewing
that crap!

-- 
         Steve C. Lamb         | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
         ICQ: 5107343          | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
    To email: Don't despair!   |  -- Lenny Nero, Strange Days
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