🚀 go-pugleaf

Written in article <JyL521w163w@shark.cs.fau.edu>
    by jeffb.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu (Jeffrey Boser):

> I just recently got an account on a unix machine that considerately
> does not have a man or help function to access any sort of documentation,

My sincere condolences!

Try sending some mail to this address:

    Maarten Litmaath <maart@cs.vu.nl>

He has put together a VI Reference manual, and posted it to this very
newsgroup some time ago.  I've printed it and shared it with friends, 
and I recommend it highly.  You might try checking to see if it's still
available at your site, because it wasn't that long ago, and may still
be on disk.

> btw... if someone could explain to me why elm, rn, and vi do not like 
> either backspaces or deletes, and treats them as control chars, I would
> appreciate it.

You may have to set this up from the shell before you run the software.
From the shell prompt, before you run anything, enter this:

    stty erase <bs>

where you replace the "<bs>" with your preferred backspace key.  If you 
see a "^H" (backspace) or a "^?" (delete) or some such, you should have
successfully set up your backspace (for this login session).  Test it 
out by entering "aaa" then backspacing over it.  Then test it in your 
software, such as 'vi.'

If, however, when you enter the 'stty' command, you press your backspace, 
and all it does is backspace, then you have a different problem, and 
you'll need someone with more expertise than mine.  (This is what will
happen the 2nd time you enter it, when it worked right the 1st time.)

If this works, you'll want to make it part of your normal login.  Edit
either your "$HOME/.profile" file or your "$HOME/.login" file, depending
on whether you're using the Bourne shell or the C shell.  (If both files
are present, rather than trying to figure out which is which, just edit 
both of them.  If neither are present, create both of them.)  Add the 
following line to the file(s):

    stty erase ^V<bs>

where, again, the "<bs>" is your backspace of choice, and the "^V" is 
a control V.  In 'vi,' you won't "see" the ^V.  It's only used to "quote"
the control character to follow.  Log out, then back in, and test as 
before.

Hope this helps.
--
Alvin ===== asylvain@felix.UUCP ===== hplabs!felix!asylvain ===== 
"hplabs!felix!asylvain"@uunet.uu.net
(I always try to respond to mail, if possible.  If you don't hear back 
from me, try changing "hplabs" to "ccicpg," "spsd," or "lawnet.")
DISCLAIMER: It's all in fun, folks, no flames intended.  Any similarity
between my opinion and that of my employer is purely coincidental and
sufficient reason to change my opinion, although I'll still be right.