Learning the vi Editor (6th Edition) (Paperback)

by Arnold Robbins (Author), Linda Lamb (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
For many users, working in the Unix environment means using vi, a full-screen text editor available on most Unix systems. Even those who know vi often make use of only a small number of its features. The sixth edition of Learning the vi Editor is a complete guide to text editing with vi. Early chapters cover the basics; later chapters explain more advanced editing tools, such as ex commands and global search and replacement, as well as a new feature, multiscreen editing. Today, there are a number of independently written versions of vi. Besides the original, the book now covers four other versions: nvi, elvis, vim, and vile. For easy reference, the sixth edition also includes a command summary at the end of each appropriate chapter. You'll quickly learn the basics of editing, cursor movement, and global search and replacement, then go on to take advantage of the more subtle power of vi. Using the clones gives you added flexibility and ease of use over traditional vi.

From the Publisher
For many users, working in the UNIX environment means using vi, a full- screen text editor available on most UNIX systems. Even those who know vi often make use of only a small number of its features. This handbook is a complete guide to text editing with vi. Quickly learn the basics of editing, cursor movement, and global search and replacement. Then take advantage of the more subtle power of vi. Extend your editing skills by learning to use ex, a powerful line editor, from within vi. Topics covered include: Basic editing Moving around in a hurry Beyond the basics Greater power with ex Global search and replacement Customizing vi and ex Command shortcuts Quick reference to vi and ex commands Also includes a pull-out quick-reference card. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; 6 edition (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565924266
• ISBN-13: 978-1565924260
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,402 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Intro To and Reference For vi, January 6, 2000

By	Ken of Orange (Orange, CA, US) - See all my reviews

The 6th edition of this book is excellent! For the novice, it is very readable, and is able to bring a user up to speed quickly with simple, solid coverage of the basics.

It is also an excellent resource for the more advanced users, with good informative coverage of advanced editting techniques w/vi. The section on the various clones is also well done.

If you get this book, it is worth getting the little vi Editor Pocket Reference book, too, because its small size (~ 7" x 4" & 72 pages), makes it a convenient and easy to use reference book. I keep one of these little guys by the home linux machine, and another one at the office, too.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential material clearly presented, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

Vi is a powerful yet difficult editor to learn in the beginning. Although there is an abundance of references on the web, it is very difficult to learn the editor effectively without a book. Even more difficult to learn is the advanced features of the editor. The book has definitely made the learning process as painless as possible. The chapters are arranged in such a way that the reader can learn the editor incrementally without being fed too much information at once. At the end of each chapter there is a reference so the reader can refresh what he/she has learned in the chapter. (This also makes the book a very good reference.) What I like most about the book is in Part II of the book: "Extensions and Clones." The book first gives a summary of all the common USEFUL features of the clonse. Then, in subsequent chapters, the author shows how to use the features in each of the clones. This has made my life much easier because I can look up what I need and then go to the particular chapter (in my case, vim) for the information in the sub-chapter.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on this topic, February 10, 2000

By A Customer

This book covers all the trick and traps to the Vi editor. It is an excellent source for anyone who wants to learn vi. It also is excellent for those who want to go beyond the basic.