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This post set me thinking about why I prefer acme to vi. They're both derived from ed, and nowadays they both know about the mouse. So how do they differ? Vi
by thisrod 14y ago
This post set me thinking about why I prefer acme to vi. They're both derived from ed, and nowadays they both know about the mouse. So how do they differ?
Vi splits insert and edit modes by time: you hit keys to toggle between them, letting you move the mouse less. Acme does it by space: blue bits of the screen hold commands, beige ones hold text, letting you remember less. To repeat a command in vi, you have to remember what you did. In acme, you look for it and click it again.
Acme lacks an exact equivalent to vi's w, t and other motion commands. However, double-click does "select what I mean", commands operate on the selection by default, and mouse chords do copy and paste. I find that's enough.
Some people will always prefer vi, but acme could be a gateway drug for many others. You can use it like Notepad, but there's a lot of magic hidden a mouse click away.