Re: Adding a simple editor to the base system

[David Brownlee <abs%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

On Thu, 12 Feb 2009, D'Arcy J.M. Cain wrote:

> On Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:46:07 +0000
> "David Brownlee" <abs%absd.org@localhost> wrote:
> > From: D'Arcy J.M. Cain <darcy%druid.net@localhost>
> > > ------------ File: /usr/bin/edit -----------
> > > #! /bin/sh
> > > exec ${EDITOR:-/usr/bin/vi}
> >
> > You may have missed a ":)" there...
> >
> > Regarding 'vi' as a reasonable default when an inexperienced user types
> > 'edit' could be regarded as a joke in rather poor humour...
>
> Nope.  I said "base system" not the NetBSD Desktop system.  I felt that
> it was reasonable for the Desktop install to change the default by
> setting the EDITOR variable.

        This inexperienced user might be installing on a non desktop box,
        or non i386, or they might be logging into a box setup by
        someone else. I really don't know how I would explain that to a
        user.

        "If you want to edit a file type 'edit file' if you are
        on a system which has the optional easy editor installed,
        otherwise it will drop you into the vi editor, at which point
        you'll need to press : then q then enter, and if that fails
        try ESC then : then q then ! then enter. Better still, just
        type 'ee file', as that way if its not installed you get
        a simple error. Then you have to find an editor you can use, ah,
        there you can try pico, or nano, or, well, here is a tutorial on
        vi. Spend a few hours playing with it."

        I'd prefer to try quite hard to avoid screwing over users...

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