This is vi version 3.2 taken from 3BSD. It had been released in January 1980.

The software is downloaded with

git clone https://github.com/n-t-roff/ex-3.2.git

and can be kept up-to-date with

git pull

Some configuration (e.g. installation paths) can be done in the makefile. For compiling on BSD, Linux and Solaris, autoconfiguration is required:

$ ./configure

The software is build with

$ make

and installed with

$ su
# make install
# exit

All generated files are removed with

$ make distclean

• PAGE-UP, PAGE-DOWN keys may work on most terminals by putting map ^[[5~ ^B and map ^[[6~ ^F into ~/.exrc.

• There are currently issues with lines longer than the screen width. Make the screen wide enough before opening vi or break long lines before they exceed the screen width.

• When inserting an unnamed buffer with P or p after a macro the whole file is inserted instead. (Note that e.g. the arrow keys are considered macros.) Either use named buffers or 'h', 'j', 'k', 'l', '^F', '^B' for motions between yank and put commands. (This bug is fixed in ex version 3.4.)

• If the screen with is not a multiple of the tab width tab characters are displayed wrong after screen updates which results in a left shift of the subsequent text. (This bug is fixed in vi version 3.4.) The display is fixed with the following actions:

  • The current line is always displayed correct after ^L.
  • All screen lines are fixed with screen updates after ^F ^B, '' ''. ^^ ^^ and so on.
  • The issue does not occur if the terminal width is set to a multiple of the tab width (e.g. a multiple of 8) before vi is started.

Features which had been invented after version 3.2:

• ZZ, :x (use :wq) (New in ex-3.3.)
• :map! (New in ex-3.3.)
• Job control (New in ex-3.4.)
• The comment character ". If you need to comment something in ~/.exrc, put these lines to the end of the file and insert an empty line before them. (New in ex-3.4.)
• There is no read-only mode. Program name view and option -R did not exist. (New in ex-3.4.)
• The documents viin.pdf and exrm.pdf describe vi version 3.2 in detail, ex3.1-3.5.pdf shows the differences to later vi versions.