On Mon, 1 Mar 2021 15:13:45 -0000 (UTC), Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.inka.de> wrote:
> On 2021-03-01, Scott Bennett <sbennett1990@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > I use xterm(1), and I prefer my command-line editing mode to be emacs style
> > and my screen editor to be vi(1). So I have the following environment
> > variables set:
> >
> > 	$ echo $SHELL
> > 	/bin/ksh
> > 	$ echo $VISUAL
> > 	emacs
> > 	$ echo $EDITOR
> > 	vi  
> 
> I think you are abusing these variables.  Setting VISUAL=emacs means you
> want to run emacs as your editor.  Which you're saying you don't want,
> and probably don't even have installed.
> 
> OpenBSD's ksh(1) man page says:
> 
>     Note: traditionally, EDITOR was used to specify the name of an
>     (old-style) line editor, such as ed(1), and VISUAL was used to
>     specify a (new-style) screen editor, such as vi(1).  Hence if
>     VISUAL is set, it overrides EDITOR.
> 
> To enable emacs-style command-line editing, use "set -o emacs".

Indeed, that was abuse based on my understanding of the man page. Yet
I missed the "set -o emacs" bit in there, which is precisely what I
needed. Thanks.