At 02:59 AM 8/10/01 -0400, Thomas Mueller wrote:

>Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 02:59:40 -0400 (EDT)
>From: "Thomas Mueller" <tmueller@bluegrass.net>
>To: netbsd-help@netbsd.org
>Subject: Re: rc.conf
>
>from Rick Byers <rb-netbsd@BigScaryChildren.net>:
>>
>>As I mentioned before, thats why you need to do "export TERM=vt100".  But
>>if you haven't read anything about how to use vi, I suggest you don't
>>bother YET, it'll just make you more frustrated (its not a program you can
>>learn easily just by pressing keys).  Use the "echo rc_configured=YES >>
>>/etc/rc.conf" instead.
>
>Trouble with echo rc_conf... is the possibility of a typo, in which case 
>the new user is thrown at the mercy of vi to correct the damage.  I think 
>there is a :help command now?  My only experience with vi is elvis in 
>Linux, and a few short sessions with elvis ported to OS/2 and DOS.  Not 
>user-friendly.  I much preferred EPM (enhanced editor) in OS/2.

While VI is not the most user-friendly editor in the world, it's quite 
servicable for most of the little maintenance tasks of editing conf files, 
etc.  

(It can also be used for much more extensive editing tasks, of course.)

In addition to a "cheat sheet" summary of the major commands, I've found 
the following tutorial to be very helpful:

http://ECN.www.ecn.purdue.edu/ECN/Documents/VI/

This tutorial is the one made available to new users by Purdue's 
Engineering Computer Network which provides computing facilities to 
Purdue's Schools of Engineering.

This is just one of many, many other tutorials available online or 
in printed form.

Regards,
Will
The Old Bear