Although this is the 6th edition of this book, while I was reading it, I still felt like I was reading the first edition, due to the clunky prose and the treatment of the material.

I know the authors feel compelled to write a book that describes the features of vi that are common on all platforms, but they end up producing a manual that appeals to the lowest common denominator. If you are still editing files on an old Unix machine using minicom and a dial-up link, this book is just right for you. If you are a modern vi user, trying to edit a large Linux project and need to learn some of the more powerful features of vim, you may be better off asking the office vi guru.

The community at large would be better served by a book dedicated to vim that does not have the problems of "Vi iMproved (VIM)" by Steve Oualline.

I have been using vi/vim for about six years, but had never gotten to the next level. This was mainly because I had kept my usage limited to a small subset of vi (which is even smaller for vim). And it's not just me - I have seen many people who use vi this way. The other reason is the fact that vi has a steep learning curve. And even when you learn something new, you have to use it often, as otherwise there is a good chance that you will forget it. I knew how powerful vi can be as a text editor, but somehow never used it to its full potential. Sometimes I used to search on the internet for vi/vim tips and stuff, and finally realized that all this learning will be much more effective if I have a book that has all the information in one place. I guess most people will think twice before buying a book on a text editor (at least, I did), whereas they won't hesitate if it was a book on a programming language. But an editor like vi, which is quite difficult to master, does need a book. Once you learn it, you will be amazed to see how powerful it is.

About the book, it is perhaps the best resource for someone at the beginner/intermediate level to learn about vi. There are not many books around on the subject, but this book does a great job. It is divided into two parts. The first part teaches vi and the second part talks about a few vi clones (including vim). The book (especially the first part) is organized in a very nice way. Things are presented in a certain order. Each chapter/section builds on the previous chapter/section. The second part deals with different clones of vi, like nvi, elvis, vim and vile. Of these, I use only vim, which is basically is superset of vi. The chapter on vim does a good job of discussing the essential features of vim in some details, although its not complete by any means. With vim having such a huge number of features, it demands a separate book for itself.

All in all, this is a great book. It is a worthwhile investment to make. You will end up doing things in minimum time and with just a few keystrokes. As another reviewer has said, vi is addicting. Use it and you will see for yourself!

This book is a fine exposition of the vi editor with a perfect balance between density of information and friendliness of explanation.

The material is divided in two parts:
* Presentation of the vi proper.
* Presentation of the vi clones.

The value of the book resides in the first part (7 chapters). It explains vi so well that it is hard not to understand and like this well-designed editor.

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Vi is an editor of many qualities: portability, price ($0!) and speed. When it comes to speed, file loading is quick, saving is quick, searching is quick, scrolling is quick - everything is quick with this guy!

Everything but... learning. The vi editor has had a bad reputation as being hard to learn and master. The modal behavior scares most people away and the wide range of commands may seem like hard to conquer. This could have been the situation *before* the amazing "Learning the vi Editor" by Lamb & Robbins existed - but now, when the book reaches the 6th edition, there's no excuse.

As "Learning the vi Editor" nicely explains, vi is a layer on top of the ex editor. Ex is a so-called "line-editor", used to edit files in a line-oriented manner. The two modes of vi are nothing else than an expression of this duality. In the so-called 'edit mode', ex is in control. In the so-called 'command mode', vi-proper is in control while redirecting the ':' commands to the underlying ex. Simple, isn't it?

The book exposes this philosophy behind vi with clarity, rigor and friendliness. Once you read this book you realize that, in fact, vi is a simple and perfectly logical editor. It has simple command sintax, simple command semantics and simple command composition rules.

************************************************************

All this information - and much more - can be found in the first part of "Learning the vi Editor". The second part is dedicated to various vi clones. Here the reader has the liberty to choose depending on which clone he/she feels most comfortable with.

Books which remove confusion and bring light to seemingly arcane areas are rare. "Learning the vi Editor" by Lamb & Robbins is one of them.

If your operating system is down, you don't have access to the "fancier" editors available that actually have interfaces that make sense to normal people. At this moment, particularly if you are in a system administrator position, you must know vi in order to access and modify files. It is so easy to pick up vi the wrong way - usually by word of mouth from someone who has learned vi the wrong way too. This book is the best I've found that is dedicated to properly teaching you the features of the vi editor and how to use them. O'Reilly has experimented with several book formats over the last ten years. This book is what I like to call "classic O'Reilly". It is the same format that most of their other books on Unix tools are generally written in, and if you have their books on sed and awk or Unix Power Tools, you know what I'm talking about.

If you have learned the wrong way, or if you are a bonified beginner, start at the beginning of part one. Don't skip anything. Even if you think you already know something, at least read through the section to make sure you know the best way of doing it. By the end of the first seven chapters you should be a pretty skilled user of vi. The book makes frequent use of practice exercises, answers common questions, and gives advice on what to do when you encounter common problems. By the time you finish you'll even be writing ex scripts and modifying C/C++ code in the vi editor without accidentally inserting all kinds of control characters that will drive programmers crazy once "the real editor" is back on line.

Part two starts at chapter eight and concerns itself with all of the various extensions to vi that are available via the four most popular vi clones available when this book was published. You do get some enhancements such as multi-window editing and even GUI interfaces by using them, but the cost is an increase in the confusion factor that this book tries to clear up as much as possible. If you are not planning on using a vi clone, you may want to just file this section of the book away in case the subject ever comes up.

Part 3 consists of several useful appendices. Four of the appendices are still useful, but the fifth, on vi and the Internet, is a bit dated. I highly recommend this book if the vi editor is in your future, and if you have system administrator duties, believe me it is. You might also want to invest in the very handy "vi Editor Pocket Reference" by the same author. I have mixed feelings about that one. Everything is there in a concise format, but until you get used to it, information can be hard to find.

If your operating system is down, you don't have access to the "fancier" editors available that actually have interfaces that make sense to normal people. At this moment, particularly if you are in a system administrator position, you must know vi in order to access and modify files. It is so easy to pick up vi the wrong way - usually by word of mouth from someone who has learned vi the wrong way too. This book is the best I've found that is dedicated to properly teaching you the features of the vi editor and how to use them. O'Reilly has experimented with several book formats over the last ten years. This book is what I like to call "classic O'Reilly". It is the same format that most of their other books on Unix tools are generally written in, and if you have their books on sed and awk or Unix Power Tools, you know what I'm talking about.

If you have learned the wrong way, or if you are a bonified beginner, start at the beginning of part one. Don't skip anything. Even if you think you already know something, at least read through the section to make sure you know the best way of doing it. By the end of the first seven chapters you should be a pretty skilled user of vi. The book makes frequent use of practice exercises, answers common questions, and gives advice on what to do when you encounter common problems. By the time you finish you'll even be writing ex scripts and modifying C/C++ code in the vi editor without accidentally inserting all kinds of control characters that will drive programmers crazy once "the real editor" is back on line.

Part two starts at chapter eight and concerns itself with all of the various extensions to vi that are available via the four most popular vi clones available when this book was published. You do get some enhancements such as multi-window editing and even GUI interfaces by using them, but the cost is an increase in the confusion factor that this book tries to clear up as much as possible. If you are not planning on using a vi clone, you may want to just file this section of the book away in case the subject ever comes up.

Part 3 consists of several useful appendices. Four of the appendices are still useful, but the fifth, on vi and the Internet, is a bit dated. I highly recommend this book if the vi editor is in your future, and if you have system administrator duties, believe me it is. You might also want to invest in the very handy "vi Editor Pocket Reference" by the same author. I have mixed feelings about that one. Everything is there in a concise format, but until you get used to it, information can be hard to find.

The book arrived in a timely manner, and in mint condition. What more could you want? I highly recommend this seller.

This book is well written and laid out. Whether or not you are a beginner or advanced user coming to vi, this is a valuable tool for getting the most out of vi.

vi is by no means an easy or intuitive editor, but with a little practice, it can greatly improve your efficiency. The book does a great job of taking you through a logical progression of how to start using the product.

Also, the support for the derivatives of vi is a huge plus. The vim chapter is excellent and I learned several tips and trick that I now use on a daily basis.

As usual, O'Reilly hits another one out of the park.

This book is the reference for those wanting to understand the mysteries of Vi. Almost all Unix based systems typically have a variant of the Vi editor installed, even when the system is in a limited use state, therefore an understanding of this no-nonsense editor is crucial if you want to administer or recover your system. This makes the Vi the editor to know, and this book guides you through the basics to more advanced "tricks" used by the guru's. Even if you only plan on casually using Vi, you can't lose having this book in your library.

This book is the reference for those wanting to understand the mysteries of Vi. Almost all Unix based systems typically have a variant of the Vi editor installed, even when the system is in a limited use state, therefore an understanding of this no-nonsense editor is crucial if you want to administer or recover your system. This makes the Vi the editor to know, and this book guides you through the basics to more advanced "tricks" used by the guru's. Even if you only plan on casually using Vi, you can't lose having this book in your library.

vi (visual) is probably one of the most flexible editors (notice it is an editor not a word processor) that one can use. There are several ways to accomplish the same common tasks. There are so many ways in fact that most people learn just a subset of commands and string them together to do their editing instead of learning the more exotic commands.

The advantage of an editor besides speed and simplicity is that you will not inadvertently place visually hidden code in the program as you can easily do with a word processor.

People got so used to this editor on dos based environments. You can still use the command line editor after the colon at the foot of the screen. When you find and use the abilities of vi you will wonder what you did without it.

This book is a great starting place abd you may never need another.

The Topics include:

- Basic editing
- Moving around in a hurry
- Beyond the basics
- Greater power with ex
- Global search and replacement
- Customizing vi and ex
- Command shortcuts
- Introduction to vi clones' extensions
- The nvi, elvis, vim, and vile editors
- Summary of vi and ex commands
- Vi and the internet

The examples are quite clear and plentiful.

vi (visual) is probably one of the most flexible editors (notice it is an editor not a word processor) that one can use. There are several ways to accomplish the same common tasks. There are so many ways in fact that most people learn just a subset of commands and string them together to do their editing instead of learning the more exotic commands.

The advantage of an editor besides speed and simplicity is that you will not inadvertently place visually hidden code in the program as you can easily do with a word processor.

People got so used to this editor on dos based environments. You can still use the command line editor after the colon at the foot of the screen. When you find and use the abilities of vi you will wonder what you did without it.

This book is a great starting place abd you may never need another.

The Topics include:

- Basic editing
- Moving around in a hurry
- Beyond the basics
- Greater power with ex
- Global search and replacement
- Customizing vi and ex
- Command shortcuts
- Introduction to vi clones' extensions
- The nvi, elvis, vim, and vile editors
- Summary of vi and ex commands
- Vi and the internet

The examples are quite clear and plentiful.

When you see someone that knows what they are doing writing with vi you will be amazed. Get a taste of it yourself and you will be hooked.

vi is powerful beyond belief and honestly I had been using it for years before I got this wonderful book from O'Reilly. The power of vi is revealing in this easy to use and well structured reference and learning aid.

Impress your friends with some of the little known and used features and functions. The authio Linda Lamb certainly knows her way around the editor so pay careful attention to the examples she uses to illustrate functions. Many of these can be used almost as-is in your daily work.

I suppose with all the latest WYSWYG word processors vi seems a little dated, but using vi I can create, edit, copy and manipulate documents in a fraction of the time others can by clicking and drilling in a windowed application.

I love vi. It's the raw power thats addicting. Yeah sometimes you can really screw the pooch with a typo but generally vi is fairly forgiving. I should know, my typing stinks but vi is generally kind to me when I mess up.

I rated this book highly in spite of I would have liked a few more examples, but the examples Lamb included are very representative of what you as a user may need and actually use.

This is a typical O'Reilly book - excellent and a worthy addition to any serious compter professionals library.

Hey I just heard that vi is available even to Windows lamers.

Try it guys. Going to vi is like getting out of Chevy Impala into an Indy car. The Chevy may have better seats and A/C, but when you touch that gas pedal you'll be hooked.

When you see someone that knows what they are doing writing with vi you will be amazed. Get a taste of it yourself and you will be hooked.

vi is powerful beyond belief and honestly I had been using it for years before I got this wonderful book from O'Reilly. The power of vi is revealing in this easy to use and well structured reference and learning aid.

Impress your friends with some of the little known and used features and functions. The authio Linda Lamb certainly knows her way around the editor so pay careful attention to the examples she uses to illustrate functions. Many of these can be used almost as-is in your daily work.

I suppose with all the latest WYSWYG word processors vi seems a little dated, but using vi I can create, edit, copy and manipulate documents in a fraction of the time others can by clicking and drilling in a windowed application.

I love vi. It's the raw power thats addicting. Yeah sometimes you can really screw the pooch with a typo but generally vi is fairly forgiving. I should know, my typing stinks but vi is generally kind to me when I mess up.

I rated this book highly in spite of I would have liked a few more examples, but the examples Lamb included are very representative of what you as a user may need and actually use.

This is a typical O'Reilly book - excellent and a worthy addition to any serious compter professionals library.

Hey I just heard that vi is available even to Windows lamers.

Try it folks, give your mouse finger a badly needed rest. Going to vi is like getting out of Chevy Impala into an Indy car. The Chevy may have better seats and A/C, but when you touch that gas pedal you'll be hooked.

I had made a couple of attempts to learn vi before, and I just didn't get it. This book made it fairly easy, and introduced me to the power and speed of vi. It lets you get started quickly, with an extremely clean, organized presentation. After a short time using vi I'm convinced that emacs is much more difficult to use properly than vi, and that windows-like editors may be simple to use but they are crippled compared to the functionality of vi. If you use a text editor more than once or twice a week do yourself a favor and learn vi. If you use different unix / linux systems you are almost compelled to learn vi since it is the only editor that's always available. This book also covers vi variants, such as the superb vim.

First, I unequivocally recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the vi editor used on UNIX and Linux systems. The book is well laid out and well written.

There are, however, two things I think would make this good book even better: (1) step-by-step examples of some of the more complex vi techniques and (2) some on-line example files available from the O'Reilly Web site. On-line example files are employed to advantage by other O'Reilly books (O'Reilly's "sed & awk" comes immediately to mind). Providing some hands-on example files to work with would definitely help anyone using this book to learn the vi editor.

Having said that, this book in its current form will teach you more than enough to use vi effectively. For those who are just starting to use vi to do real work, I'd also recommend acquiring the companion "vi Editor Pocket Reference."

This book is a great intro to vi for beginners and is an excellent desktop reference for people to keep handy. I keep it handy because I cannot always remember that obscure command that will rearrange my document with little effort.

The only problem with this book is learning vi and remembering all the commands you can do with vi! VI is the BEST editor there is! *PERIOD* YEah that's right!...

I've been playing with Linux and BSD for a few years now, if your like like me you've played with emacs and vi, learned how to use the basic commands you needed at the time, and never took the time to really sit down and master one of the editors. I decided to get this book, sit down and take a few hours to learn how some of the lesser known vi fuctions could help free up some time. I highly recommend picking up this book, it is extremly useful, and the best part is the fact that it is a quick and interesting read!