[TriLUG] vi(m) #1 of the top ten linux tools admins should know/have

[Tanner Lovelace]

On 11/2/05, Cristobal Palmer <cristobalpalmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> It's not the answer--it's the defense of the answer.
>
> If you say "Vi," and follow it up with a shrug and, "It's what I
> learned," then $DEITY help you with the rest of your interview. Same
> goes for emacs.
>
> If you can present a clear, concise and powerful argument for using
> emacs, then you shouldn't be rejected based on that choice. If you
> are, then you didn't want to work there anyway. That said, I still
> don't think you can safely claim total ignorance of vi, for reasons
> eloquently expressed by Jon and others.

Well, I have answered "it's what I started with" in an interview before
and gotten the job offer.  The point I made, though, was that both
are useful and it doesn't really matter which one you're comfortable
with as long as you know how to use it.

Of course, they then proceeded to follow up with lots of questions
on how I used emacs. :-)  I distinctly remember sitting there with
my eyes closed, hands on the table trying to use muscle memory
to come up with keystrokes for various emacs commands that I
just use on instinct these days.  It was an interesting experience. :-)

Cheers,
Tanner
--
Tanner Lovelace
clubjuggler at gmail dot com
http://wtl.wayfarer.org/
(fieldless) In fess two roundels in pale, a billet fesswise and an
increscent, all sable.