h,j,k,l in vi (and cursor key time-outs)

[rad at Mitre-Bedford]

>> 	But 'vi' *doesn't* force h,j,k,l cursor control on you.
>> Every version of it that I have ever seen also supports the *real*
>> arrow keys on terminals that have them.  Why not use them if you
>> don't like the ADM3-a approach.

>Because they can be unreliable.  On the few occasions when I use "vi"
>(heh heh), I've seen it get confused when I use the arrow keys on my
>VT100, so I've adjusted to using h/j/k/l.  I suspect it may be related
>to the fact that "vi" does timeouts on input to distinguish escape sequences
>from normal typing (but since I rarely use "vi" I don't really care why
>it does it).

     The timeout problem that you mention is particularly irksome when
you're working over a terminal network with the delays that it
introduces.  To make "vi" quit worrying so much about escape sequences,
put "set notimeout" in your ~/.exrc file.  I've had this in my .exrc
file for some time, and the only "bad" thing that I've noticed about
this is that I have to hit escape twice before I can force a visual bell.

Dick Dramstad
rad at mitre-bedford.arpa