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Reply to @pfriedma@pfedi.pfriedma.org
Jeff@overeducatedredneck@bitbang.social (2026-10-05 08:12:26)
@pfriedma @ed1conf @sirjofri This is why I originally learned ed(1): debugging embedded linux devices 20 years ago. It worked over some of the worst serial line setups.
Then I started doing what the OP does to keep it under my fingers.
Then it became a lifestyle. Particularly after I broke up a couple vi-vs-emacs debates with ED IS THE STANDARD.
Now I also find myself using it to script large numbers of small changes across a codebase (eg: moving a header file within a repo).
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sinza :netbsd: :openbsd: :freebsd: :omya_linux:@sinza@oldbytes.space (2026-10-05 08:49:38)
@overeducatedredneck @pfriedma @ed1conf @sirjofri
ed(1) is so great for lots of things. Honestly probably the best unixy text editor to use on a modern smartphone, and that's not a joke.
I tend to take extensive advantage of vi's ed ancestry. For that alone, learning ed was a boon for me. Learning ed was like learning the command line for the first time again. I find using ex commands very often. In fact, I absolutely despise BusyBox vi for partially this reason. Only some ex commands are supported. It also doesn't play so nicely with getting standard input from the shell.
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Jeff@overeducatedredneck@bitbang.social (2026-10-05 08:53:05)
@sinza @pfriedma @ed1conf @sirjofri BusyBox' ed(1) is trash too. I don't remember which commands are broken, but my normal ed(1) workflows don't work in it. (This is why I never got into Alpine Linux for any purpose...too much extra work to get a real userspace installed.)