I broke out into cold sweat after I finished editing some text documents using vim. I understand that veterans prefer VI/VIM anytime.

PS: This is not some emac vs vi debate. Im just trying to appreciate VI/VIM.

its one of those things that once you get used to it, it's very effective for everyday use.

I use vi everytime i edit a file. infact i've got 'vi-itis'. When i use a word processor i keep typing vi command and become surprised by the results.

vi, is very fast and powerful, if you can climb the steep learning curve. that said, its not a competition. whatever works best for you. i just use vi so much because i work on hp unix and emacs etc isn't on there (by default)

also if you are a sys admin it's pretty much a must have skill as when systems go down or there is not GUI to use, you need to be able to use vi to get things done.

but yes, it is pretty scary. I would recommend trying to learn at least a little vi. it will help you in a crisis:

http://ce.uml.edu/vi.htm

there are others like the above...

I really like vim, and I don't use very many of the "features", I tend to use it more like a word processor, where I use the arrow keys to navigate, and so forth. The only ones I do use are 'cw' 'r' 'p<and variations>' and 'd<and variations>'

I don't have any other editors installed. . .

i love being able to do replaces and stuff:

:1,$ s/oldtext/newtext/g

ah happy days. Where's my sed/awk pocket reference gone... :-D

the most important key to learn is "/" to searh for things. e.g

/sometextiwannafind

and press 'n' to find the next instance.

And also ling number eg. SHIFT G takes you to the bottom of a page and 343 SHIFT G takes you to line 343. Anyway, i'm sure that VI tutor is better than anything i could do... lol

i bet you've got ed and sed..... you can even use a word processor like OoO

I just it on a daily basis because i like instant load times... Not to mention you can type all day in vim and never have to take your hands off the keyboard.

is there anything else for a sysadmin !?!?

Serious, when you start to use find/replace, macros, and other cool stuff, them you will realize that there is no substitute for vi !

I do that all the time. I'm constantly having to backspace ":wq" when I'm using notepad. Maybe I need to investigate if there is vi for windows.....

Of course there is, I use it all the time: http://www.vim.org/download.php

vi is used by every time a file needs to be edited.. there are no alternatives, nothing amounts to vi, it's the best..

I use it for just about everything.
From daily tasks, writing shopping lists, writing code, etc...
It's so fast and efficient once you've got it down. I only know a handful of basic commands compared to the gurus out there, but even that is enough to let vi's beauty shine through.

The only time I use OpenOffice instead of vi is for editing my resume, since so many companies expect it in MS Word format

In the fledgling days of the micro-computer revolution the predominant word processor was WordStar. It was obviously a vi derivative - and WordStar and I never developed a good relationship. WordPerfect came along and quickly supplanted WordStar as the world's word processor of choice. Why? Because the vast majority of users - me included - don't have minds that think in a vi sort of way.

I can use vi. I can get it to do what I need; and I curse it furiously every time I'm forced to use it. No dig against vi or the people that use it. Using and loving vi doesn't mean you're ugly, cruel, or anti-social (doesn't mean you're not either - come to think of it). I have many friends that are fervent vi users. Just not my cuppa.

I learned vi 20 years ago. I use it frequently at work, when I have to edit files on our Solaris boxen. I use it at home for quick and easy edits on my Linux box. But I will admit, that if my editing needs are large and/or complex, I'm more likely to fire up KWrite, for instance.

Here is a piece of advice. Don't try to make word documents using OO. Your resume would go straight to the trash the second one of those tabs/tables is misaligned.