nvi2 VS GitUp

nvi2 [0]: I got to like the simplicity of nvi when installing Void Linux on my laptop, but it had some annoying bugs that made me switch to nvi2. In general, it feels like `good' software; powerful enough by virtue of being a 1:1 vi clone with a few crucial improvements (multibyte, multi-undo, etc.), but simple enough to hack on if I miss some feature. Though no autocomplete means it's not suitable for more verbose languages, like Java.

QuickJS [1]: qjscalc is my go-to scientific calculator, and qjs my go-to JavaScript implementation for simple programs. The C interface is very nice to use, too. All in all, it feels very much like a "complete" engine, even if not quite as fast as one with JIT.

w3m [2]: Somewhat lacking as a web browser, but a very good pager. Would take it over less any day. Also has the best table display of any text-mode browser, supports inline images, and is rather extensible.

Wine [3]: It's gotten so good that I no longer have to dual boot Windows. Still not perfect, but definitely on my list of "good software".

[0]: https://github.com/lichray/nvi2

[1]: https://bellard.org/quickjs/

[2]: https://github.com/tats/w3m

[3]: https://www.winehq.org/

Don't confuse OpenVi/OpenBSD-vi, nvi1, and nvi2. These are all different programs that share the same heritage.

OpenVi is derived from OpenBSD vi, which derives from nvi version 1.79, released in 1996. There has been 25+ years of independent development as part of the OpenBSD base system and has diverged greatly in that time, with the development going in a different direction.

Nvi1, currently on version 1.8x, is maintained at https://repo.or.cz/nvi.git - I believe the latest version of this editor does have multibyte support, but this is not the OpenVi/OpenBSD version of the editor.

Nvi2 shares heritage as well but also, quite far removed from the original code, is actively maintained at https://github.com/lichray/nvi2 and also includes multibyte support.

(IIRC) the multibyte support in both Nvi1 and Nvi2 derives from nvi-m17n, developed as part of the KAME project by the late itojun - http://www.itojun.org/itojun.html ... the last update to nvi-m17n was about 3 years ago, and is available at https://cgit.freebsd.org/ports/tree/editors/nvi-m17n/files

Currently, optimizing for size using link-time garbage collection with GCC 11.2 on an x86_64 glibc Linux system gives a good idea of the changes over time and the different direction these editors have taken. OpenVi is also simplified in structure and does not have the three levels of abstraction of Nvi 1.8x - there is no library interface layer.

For OpenVi, the compiled binary is 280K, and for Nvi1 (nvi-1.81.6-45-g864873d3) the compiled binary is 528K (36K for vi, 528K for libvi).

OpenVi has a single configuration standard with no dependencies beyond curses.

Nvi1 has many options beyond trace/debug ("widechar" "gtk" "motif" "threads" "perl" "tcl" "db3/4" "internal-re") - so at least 255 different build variations are possible.

(I've not yet built Nvi2 myself on Linux so I can provide an actually fair comparison yet, but I will, and I'll summarize the data in an FAQ section of the README)

Nvi1 (https://repo.or.cz/nvi.git) looks like:

FWIW, the per line staging functionality in GitUp (https://gitup.co/) is quite easy and straightforward. Very lightweight program that you can open via cli (`gitup` when in a git directory)

Not quite true, though while I was there, many fellow employees misunderstood the rules to mean that you couldn't use GPL software on your machine. At least as of a few years ago, the official ruling was that any open-source software _required_ for you to do your job had to be approved by an internal council of sorts, and GPL and AGPL software was right out. You could, however, use any open-source software you wanted (including GPL and AGPL) so long as it was (1) for personal use, (2) not absolutely mandatory for you to do your job (e.g. some niche software or library propping up your employment), and (3) there was some other alternative tool that you could use if necessary.

So, for instance, a GPL-licensed git client like GitUp[1] was fine to use, and didn't require clearance. You could totally also install a newer version of Nano if you wanted, too.

But, the rules _were_ somewhat vague and scary-sounding, so many engineers I worked with took the rules to mean "absolutely no GPL software under any circumstances".

What email is actually talking about is the option to bundle Nano _with the OS_, which Apple can't do with GPLv3 software. That's why for years, macOS has had an absolutely ancient version of bash (before the license was updated to GPLv3), and switched to zsh in newer versions of the OS.

[1]: https://github.com/git-up/GitUp

Gitup \Mac only]) and the command line at the same time. There are some esoteric commands I can’t remember so it’s nice having a GUI to do it and it’s nice having visual feedback incase of a screwup.

I only use it to keep track of certain projects. Gitup (Mac only) is another GUI client I use for visualizing progress and undoing mistakes.

A git client: Fork (paid), GitFox (paid), or Tower (subscription) for git version control. Which one you use is personal preference / price sensitivity. It's Ford vs Chevy. GitUp is free but a little weirder UI, though very powerful.

I typically use the CLI, but GitUp is the best git visualization tool I've ever found (although it's mac-only).

I Ctrl+F'd for GitUp based on the title, it deserves mention here.

It's all-in on Mac, unfortunately.

https://github.com/git-up/GitUp

> GitUp is built as a thin layer on top of a [Mac-only] reusable generic Git toolkit called "GitUpKit"

I thought Windows Sandbox would be more useful but over time I just haven't fired it up... I kind of forgot about it. I do use Hyper-V.

Every Windows user should run WizTree on their personal machines at least once a year to get a lightning fast report on disk space usage. Cleanup should start wih the largest items or you're just wasting your time! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33893815#33894842

Bitvise SSH Server is also now free for personal use. I've been using it for over a decade since it offered simple multifactor authentication before OpenSSH (IIRC) and can block most bots by client identifier (libssh) -- security through obscurity works spectacularly here because OpenSSH does not yet support this. Their free-as-in-beer SSH client is a great GUI for port forwarding, SFTP, etc. but I dislike the built-in terminal's clipboard handling.

A Mac-only recommendation: https://gitup.co a GPL3 Git client with a unique UI and undo. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27579701&p=2#27580659

If you use Pandora, check out the pianobar cli. For Twitch, there is Chatty (+streamlink cli & VLC).

I set up signald with a Google Voice number but haven't continued down the path of automating Signal.

I tried Tailscale (2021?) but it seemed a bit early, couldn't log out yet. So I went with ZerotTier. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30284754

The tool used to visualize Git Tree: GitUp (looking for something better)