[plug] Editor choices: the keys to the matter

[BillK]

gotta take issue with that - as someone who has (and has to) use vi on
both a number of unix's including different Linux distributions, vi is
anything but standard once you get past a few basic sequences. 
Everbody, distro's as well as individual users sets it up differently. 
It is also hard to use/learn, and the learning curve is made all the
more difficult because if you dont use a command everyday, its hard to
find in the extensive help.  vi fails from trying to be everything to
everybody, and fails, paritcularly with new users.  It seems highly
inefficent UNLESS one has spent many hours researching and writing
customized macros for your own purpose.  No, vi is a good programmers
editor, useful because it is on just about every unix system, but in my
opinion, and many many others (just see what flak this gives on mail
lists when it comes up!), vi is past its useby date as the default
editor - seems a good opensource project to come up with a standard
editor interface that takes into account human interaction, newbies (how
does a newbie edit a file on his fresh installed Linux system with
something as non-intuitive as vi? - look at the number of questions to
lists on this subject!).  The best solution may be a macro on top of vi
(havent seen one thats any good yet!), but something needs to be done as
Linux is moving from nerdland into mainstream.

Now having started an editor war, I'll sit back and watch who bite's

BillK