The vi Text Editor

You need to know how to use vi to edit a text file. Many applications and system files are configured via simple text file tables that you are expected to edit. vi does not have to be your editor of choice, but it is the only editor that is standard on all UNIX and Linux systems.

vi is difficult for some people because it offers no pull-down menus or command lists to select from. In the spirit of UNIX, you simply have to know the basic commands from memory.

When forced to use vi against their will, many UNIX people pull out a reference card of more than 70 different commands and try to edit the text file. Chapter 20, “Using vi to Edit a Text File,” shows you first how to edit anything with just 10 vi commands; then it introduces ...

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