

Modes, Quasimodes and the iPhone - access_denied
http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2009/07/02/modes-quasimodes-and-the-iphone/

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timmorgan
This article does not talk about Vi vs. Emacs. Is the title editorializing?

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access_denied
Yes it is on purpose. The idea is to think about the more general theme of
editing modes, not the discussion about the iPhone the article narrows the
topic to.

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knome
You cite a piece detailing how the use of unseen modes makes interacting with
a computer difficult and infer this as a boon to a strongly moded editor that
offers nothing resembling the sort of modeless simplicity the author was
advocating. The saving grace given in the article for modes was that they be
evident and easily disabled and that they be fully under the control of the
user to toggle on and off.

Emacs modes come closer to this than vi. When you type it enters text at the
cursor. All special modes are entered via holding key chords. Modes which are
not done at the end of the chord are generally recorded in the status line so
it is evident they are active.

At any rate, the piece, having nothing to do with this traditional browser
debate, though of token interest in itself was slighted by your title used to
link it.

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padmanabhan01
From the article "Modes are not always bad. (1)Modes cause issues if they make
computers behave in unexpected ways. However, if the modes themselves are
obvious to the user, (2)if it is always clear how to exit the current mode,
and (3)if the modes interfere with as few of the user’s actions as possible,
these issues disappear."

VI screws up in all of this (1) (2) and (3).

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hvs
I agree with this, but I would also say that Emacs "modes" are equally
confusing, and much more widespread.

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redorb
A better title would have been 'On the iphone, VI has better usability than
Emacs' cause the iphone by itself can't really prove usability on anything
other than itself. Apples and Oranges.

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leecho0
In general, people like emacs for its programming environment and vim for its
ease of use after familiarity. So... the title's a bit misleading?

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access_denied
If quasimodes are a hindrance to usability, than Emacs is full of these, but I
never thought of them that way. Maybe it is different on the desktop an Vi is
the perfect editor for the iPhone?

