(Re. http://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-users/2002/04/25/0001.html from
the archives.)

I'm not sure how the topic switched to ed, but...

 (a) There are several ways to get to an ed man-page with just one
     computer, and without exiting ed:

      * Use window(1).  It ships with NetBSD.
      * Use screen.  It's in pkgsrc.
      * Use X and a seperate X term (not always an option).
      * Switch to another virtual console.  (You should have 4, in
        a default install on an i386.)
      * Use ^Z to suspend ed, and go read the man-page.  Resume ed
        with ``fg''.

    Those are the ones that I can think of, offhand.

 (b) As kre points out, ed isn't that hard to learn.  You don't really
     even need to learn about regular expressions for many purposes.
     The core features  that you *really* need are to be able to
     insert lines, delete lines, display lines, and save/exit.  The rest
     you can postpone learning about (or never learn, if you seldom use
     ed).

 (c) Even today, there are some environments that take beginners
     (often non-programmers, often not very technical) and have them
     maintain files with an ed clone.  (I have in mind certain MUD's.)
     It's not really that difficult.

The problem is that ed is a tiny bit harder to learn for those who have
never used such an editor before.  It doesn't have menus.  It *is*
different from in that it has an insert mode and a command mode.  It
doesn't continuously maintain a display of what the current file looks
like.

But, it's not that hard to learn, if you put a little time into it.


  ``I probably don't know what I'm talking about.'' --rauch@math.rice.edu