The Linux Command Line

Chapter 12. A Gentle Introduction to vi

There is an old joke about a visitor to New York City asking a passerby for directions to the city’s famous classical music venue:

Visitor: Excuse me, how do I get to Carnegie Hall?

Passerby: Practice, practice, practice!

Learning the Linux command line, like becoming an accomplished pianist, is not something that we pick up in an afternoon. It takes years of practice. In this chapter, we will introduce the vi (pronounced “vee eye”) text editor, one of the core programs in the Unix tradition. vi is somewhat notorious for its difficult user interface, but when we see a master sit down at the keyboard and begin to “play,” we will indeed be witness to some great art. We won’t become masters in this chapter, but ...