Re: [dev] Experimental editor

> Still I wonder why you try so much to stay modeless. Modes are a real
> advantage because each mode offers a separate editor. Take vi: You can
> edit in normal mode (= the actual vi mode) or in ex mode or in insert
> mode (e.g. with ^W, ^U). You have the choice which editor (mode) you
> use for some editing task. Ed has modes, too: Command and insert mode.
>
> Surely, the problems are knowing in which mode you're in and switching
> modes. But in return, each mode lets you re-use your keyboard keys
> (the optimum) and for each mode you can design a new editor that's
> best suited for the kind of editing this mode is intended to do.

Why would you want several editors? The problem with vi and mutt is that
they have all these keybindings; hence you can on occasion find yourself in
some crazy dark key combination that you didn't mean to be in.

A simple editor probably shouldn't have any more keybindings than, say,
surf; in fact one or two less: page up/down, up/right/left/down, and find.
One doesn't need modes for that. If you want to do something wacked out to
your file (like go to the third word on the 4th sentence and delete every
vowel), that should probably be done *outside* the editor.

Peter

-- 
sic dicit magister P
PhD Candidate
Collaborative Programme in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
University of Toronto
http://individual.utoronto.ca/peterjh