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You're referring to sam, I presume? The commands are similar to ed, but the overall design is radically different.

Then of course, Plan 9 has one of the most versatile text editors out there: Acme.

The shell itself is rc(1), which cleans up the mess significantly from Bourne shells.

I quite like sam, from what I've tried so far. I think it's an interesting take on ed (but I much prefer acme) I still have "learn basic ed (or sam)" as a far-away goal (always pushed down my todo list, since knowing the commands is not enough: using them is what gives power)

This is the best writeup I've seen so far on getting comfortable with ed: http://blog.sanctum.geek.nz/actually-using-ed/

That was great, thanks! I'd never played with ed before but as a vim user it was pretty easy to follow without having to think too much. I knew it was an ancestor but never knew it was so similar.

Yes, that post is my source of ed-ness, practical knowledge. Very good, well-written. But ah, the time to apply everything and the will to force me to use it!

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