I wish I had had a copy of Learning the vi Editor seven years ago when I first encountered vi. Unfortunately for me I learned how to use it by trial and error and by osmosis from other users, and as a result have been using it in seriously non-optimal fashion ever since! So Learning the vi Editor may well be useful for experienced users of vi who haven't ever read much about it. It is aimed at beginners, however, and will be even more useful if read before bad habits set in. It is clearly and sensibly laid out, with the essentials at the beginning and the advanced stuff at the end, and, while providing plentiful examples, manages to explain everything reasonably succinctly.

While I personally wouldn't wish learning how to use vi on anyone, there are still many occasions where one is faced with a text-only interface, and vi (or a clone) is the editor available on the widest range of systems. I really can't argue the merits of alternative editors, but if you do decide on learning vi then I strongly suggest arming yourself with a copy of Learning the vi Editor before tackling the task.

Note: a 6th edition of Learning the vi Editor is now available.

November 1994

External links:

- buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
- details at O'Reilly & Associates

Related reviews:

- Linda Lamb - Using Email Effectively
- books about computing
- books published by O'Reilly & Associates