Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!individual.net!not-for-mail
From: rbowman <bowman@montana.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Recent history of vi (was: Re: Python/C/Pascal ... How To Choose ?)
Date: 15 Nov 2025 17:32:20 GMT
Lines: 42
Message-ID: <mnrrp4FnjgqU1@mid.individual.net>
References: <CtydnVqzjrtfd5P0nZ2dnZfqn_adnZ2d@giganews.com> <pan$6b026$dd2599d1$b6e2fd67$717fe5b4@linux.rocks> <qH6dnXd6soTggo30nZ2dnZfqnPednZ2d@giganews.com> <pan$7dc5f$fbfa874c$ab899d75$b4081fc4@linux.rocks> <10eqid5$3du22$1@dont-email.me> <pan$dd285$4640e42e$fcac06fd$7a2c8b8f@linux.rocks> <mndjl0FbepuU3@mid.individual.net> <Nd6dnTHIQ9ZDXY_0nZ2dnZfqnPWdnZ2d@giganews.com> <mnhhpfF1ld6U1@mid.individual.net> <10f0f7i$12iu1$1@dont-email.me> <mnih0hF5v4aU5@mid.individual.net> <8i7eulxq0m.ln2@Telcontar.valinor> <mnjdqbFb67pU1@mid.individual.net> <MuOcnTdTubF0_oj0nZ2dnZfqnPqdnZ2d@giganews.com> <2ovhulxeph.ln2@Telcontar.valinor> <7o2dnTpBfZPLCYv0nZ2dnZfqnPGdnZ2d@giganews.com> <ldkjulxhf2.ln2@Telcontar.valinor> <O8SdndPJcaYNB4r0nZ2dnZfqn_GdnZ2d@giganews.com> <mnq5f4Ffa24U1@mid.individual.net> <10f9iud$3dmon$1@dont-email.me>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-Trace: individual.net gttCalk73LoCjZJDUu3eoQzQt3vW+VH6fIvc/CMWnCVUK5bRbJ
Cancel-Lock: sha1:B9glS9ZNNTuJLobyw/MzywHz07o= sha256:8WfAbh5ytQRsX6RuZRTppds1TXvrJEJSe+HByTOmm/Y=
User-Agent: Pan/0.162 (Pokrosvk)
Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:77580 alt.folklore.computers:232165

On Sat, 15 Nov 2025 09:59:39 +0000, Nuno Silva wrote:

> On 2025-11-15, rbowman wrote:
> 
>> On Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:09:47 -0500, c186282 wrote:
>>
>>>    WordStar and close variants were VERY popular back in the day. Kind
>>>    of everyone's "first word processor".
>>>    Everyone used it alongside Lotus-123.
>>
>> It was bundled on the Osborne 1 CP/M machine. I got a lot of miles out
>> of it as a programming editor in the text mode. When I finally moved to
>> the DOS world I bought Brief.
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brief_(text_editor)
>>
>> 'ed' wasn't much fun. I think I way have had a freeware clone of vi
>> that was no Joy either. I guessing 95% of the people who say 'I use vi'
>> never have. Most Linux distros bring up Vim if you type 'vi'. One
>> exception is Arch. 'vi' is a hard link to ex which comes up in the
>> visual mode for that old timey flavor.
> 
> IIRC that source was lost or elusive for a long time, or perhaps held
> back by lack of permission to distribute?

Like Unix itself ed and vi had licensing problems.

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/02/01/24/0146248/caldera-releases-
original-unices-under-bsd-license

Somehow at least the legacy vi code escaped the AT&T, UNIX System 
Laboratories, Novel, Caldera, SCO mess.

Stevie was a clone of vi and Vim followed on Stevie. Doing a clean room 
implementation of vi wasn't difficult. Today somebody would probably try 
to patent ':w' as a unique key combination. It should be an object less 
that the companies that spent more time in legal wrangles than product 
development are footnotes in computer folklore.