[OT] vi vs. vim

[Andrew Bennetts]

On Wed, Jan 29, 2003 at 09:47:52AM -0700, Andrew Dalke wrote:
> Alex:
> >Convert your boss to vim!  It can be used as a strict superset of
> >vi.  As a vi fanatic myself, I see NO reason to keep using the
> >old, limited vi, when vim's SO good these days.  vim can easily
> >be configured to expand all tabs to spaces, btw.
> 
> I know one person who has the source code to vi from about 15
> years ago.  When he goes on a new machine, he recompiles it.
> 
> I pointed out that vim exists, is more powerful and more featureful.
> 
> He replied that it changed one behaviour that he wants.  He would
> rather recompile (and tweak) the codebase he knows than to figure
> out a new one.
> 
> What's different?  I don't remember.  I have vague recollections
> that his copy of vi doesn't have multiple undo, and an undo twice
> is the same as an undo/redo.  vim has multiple undo, so acts
> different in that one respect.
> 
> I don't understand it either.

Someone told me something similar once.  I think it was that "uu" or "u." or
something like that in vi would undo, then redo, which is a convenient way
go back to the point in the source where you made the last change, without
changing it.  In vim (without tweaking the compatibility options), you'd
have to do "u" then ^R.

Personally, I'd rather have multiple undo :)

-Andrew.