like @xahodo, I don’t do anything fancy in Linux. When I need to edit an item, I just open Nemo in LM and double click on the item. If the file happens to be in “/” then I just open the directory with the option of “Open as root”. Quick, simple and easy. No commands to learn or try to remember.
Of course sometimes a GUI editor may be available to be use. In those very rare cases, I have used nano.
I always use the % when doing a sed style regex change a text file in vi…
I love this feature 
- it’s just like sed! But I usually find it’s easier to exit vi and just use sed:
sed 's/<name to replace>/<new name>/' $FILENAME to replace the first instance - a “dry run” (default is to change nothing other than to show what would change - use “-i” to actually change the file).
To replace all instances and change the file (i.e. actually edit/save) :
sed -i 's/<name to replace>/<new name>/g' $FILENAME
Note also - the old behaviour of sed on UNIX - there was no “-i” - you have to output to another file :
sed 's/<name to replace>/<new name>/g' $FILENAME > new-$FILENAME - at least that’s how I remember it on Solaris UNIX…
And that’s why I use the perl rename utility, AKA “prename” which also uses sed style regex to rename filenames…
And back on emacs - Linus Torvalds uses his own version of microEmacs, he calls uEmacs - and he says it is unmaintained and he recommends others don’t use it…
That is a typical example of how we drift into things and then find we are almost bound to it.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the information.
Another way to make substitutions within a file that I didn’t know about.
Coming from Windows, I’m still very attached to desktop program GUIs, but gradually, I’m having to use the terminal and CLI commands more and more.
About Perl… I’m ashamed to say it, but I know nothing about it.
Hi Howard,
It’s basically what I do every day: Nemo and xed (text editor) are basically always open.
Now, graphically, because it’s difficult for me to progress otherwise, I try to use Neovim more and more.
More about Neovim and programs we like to work with.
You may remember me saying this in another topic:
I got so used to Yeakuake because, for me, it’s very simple to use on the desktop. All you have to do is press F12, which is the terminal I use Neovim on, but with a remix (yet another program to “force” me to study…).
We develop habits of using programs, and there are people who can’t do without them and others who can’t even use them.
The example Dan referred to and the one Neville mentioned reflect this very well:
There must be experienced users here on the forum who could create a thread and demonstrate what Neovim is and how it works. I mention this because it is more attractive, with plugins and themes, it could be vi/vim, and we could start discussing functions, commands, settings, etc., if users were interested.
Unfortunately, I don’t know enough to be able to create and maintain a topic with this matter, but the idea has been put out there 
Jorge
But this is how the world™ works nowadays. I often try to use new things used or recommended by others. And I don’t see anything bad with it. It’s IMHO the way to get experience.
BTW, I had a chance to try uEmacs many years ago, long before I knew of Linus.
Hi Alfred,
I totally agree with you. Perhaps what I meant to say is not what I wrote, so I will correct anything here that is wrong in what I said or is not translated correctly.
I fully agree that we should try out suggestions from others—that’s what I do in my daily life—it’s a natural way to evolve. For example, who has never tried a dish because they were told it was delicious?
What I mean is that we shouldn’t follow a certain trend just because it’s what “everyone” is using now, even though I don’t really like it, but it’s cool if Iuse it…
Because if the trend now is to wear blue, do I also have to wear blue, even if I don’t like it, just because it’s cool to wear blue? I like yellow…
(Sorry for these ridiculous comparisons, but I just wanted to show my point of view on what I wanted to write about).
Jorge
The power of VSCodium starts when it comes down to debugging.
I don’t care about any trends either, or at least I try to.
Blindly following anything is always a questionable decision.
An interesting editor to try, in case you haven’t yet.
Is it an advance on vi + gdb, or is it just more convenient?
What worries me about IDE’s is people seem to think they are a substitute for knowing what you are doing.
I think it’s pure convenience. But I don’t know if there are plugins to connect Vim and gdb.
Yes, but many of those kiddies don’t care anyway what’s going on under the hood.
How do they debug a program? Have we become so abstract that programming is seen as a set of building blocks?