Path: csiph.com!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!panix!.POSTED.2602:f977:0:1::5!not-for-mail From: Rich Alderson Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Recent history of vi Date: 08 Dec 2025 16:07:15 -0500 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC Lines: 30 Sender: alderson+news@panix5.panix.com Message-ID: References: <10ga6r1$7ph$1@news.misty.com> <10gpatq$jpt$3@news.misty.com> <69334624$0$11430$426a74cc@news.free.fr> <10h175s$2b64m$19@dont-email.me> <10h4nug$3n4no$5@dont-email.me> <10h639d$r4s$4@dont-email.me> Injection-Info: reader2.panix.com; posting-host="2602:f977:0:1::5"; logging-data="3475"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@panix.com" X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.7/Emacs 22.3 Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:78515 alt.folklore.computers:232463 The Natural Philosopher writes: > Also they lisped as much as the Spanish back in the day and ff was equated to > 'ss' Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrongity-wrong-wrong. The so-called "long s" may, but need not, have a serif on the left hand side of the midpoint of the vertical. The "f" must have a crossbar at the midpoint of the vertical. They are not, and at the time they were in use were never confused as, identical to each other. In point of fact, most grade school classrooms (from 3rd grade on) when I was a child had a frieze displaying the cursive alphabet above the black/chalkboards. In addition to the variants of "t" and "r", there were two ways to write non-capital "s", the little short squiggle and one that resembled the non-capital "f" except that the loop below the line came up from the left rather than from the right. We were expected to use that in the interiors of words in penmanship practice. So it wasn't that long ago. -- Rich Alderson news@alderson.users.panix.com Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur, omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus. --Galen