[Mongoose]

Notepad is Windows only, so you don't get it with any other OSes like Linux, Unix, or MacOS. The thing with vi is that it's console based, but it's waaaaay faster. *BUT* once you get the commands down. Like the others say, t's a pain to learn. For example, when you start it, you don't just start plugging in text right away; you have to change modes first. And some commands are cryptic or not immediately intuitive.

I think it's pronounced vee-eye, and vi stands for VIsual, and it's an improvement over ed, which is an older editor?

If you're really interested, you can sign up for a shell account by telnetting to sdf.lonestar.org and typing "vilearn".