tachijuan

tachijuan / hvi

Public

CP/M Minimal VI Clone in HiTech-C

12
0
100% credibility
Found Apr 28, 2026 at 12 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
Sign Up Free
AI Analysis
C
AI Summary

HVI is a lightweight text editor that mimics the classic vi experience for editing files on CP/M systems.

How It Works

1
🔍 Discover HVI

You hear about HVI, a simple text editor that feels just like the classic vi, perfect for editing files on old CP/M computers.

2
💾 Get it on your system

You copy the ready-made program files onto your vintage CP/M setup so it's all set to run.

3
🚀 Launch the editor

You run HVI from your old computer's command line, and it opens up a clean screen ready for action.

4
📝 Open and start editing

Pick a file to edit or create a new one, then use simple keys to move around, insert text, delete, copy, and search – it feels smooth and responsive even on slow terminals.

5
🔄 Repeat actions easily

Press a dot to repeat your last change quickly, or undo if needed, making editing fast and fun.

6
💾 Save your work

Type a quick command to save changes, even for huge files it handles the parts you edited perfectly.

✅ Perfect edits saved

Your file is updated exactly as you wanted, ready to use, bringing that nostalgic vi magic to your retro setup.

Sign up to see the full architecture

5 more

Sign Up Free

Star Growth

See how this repo grew from 12 to 12 stars Sign Up Free
Repurpose This Repo

Repurpose is a Pro feature

Generate ready-to-use prompts for X threads, LinkedIn posts, blog posts, YouTube scripts, and more -- with full repo context baked in.

Unlock Repurpose
AI-Generated Review

What is hvi?

HVI delivers a minimal vi clone in HiTech-C for CP/M 2.2/3.0 on Z80 or 8086 hardware, like cp/m 86 github finds. It handles core vi commands—h/j/k/l movement, i/a/o inserts, dd/yy deletes, / searches, :wq saves—on ANSI terminals with 48K RAM. Users get efficient text editing for retro systems, including large-file sliding windows and dot-repeat for quick changes.

Why is it gaining traction?

This C-based CP/M clone skips bloat for speed on 9600-baud serials, with smart scrolls, half-page jumps (Ctrl-D/U), and single undo that feel native vi without modern overhead. Large-file support preserves tails beyond memory limits, ideal for real hardware where alternatives choke. Niche retro devs dig its hitech-c purity and MIT openness.

Who should use this?

CP/M emulator runners tweaking Z80 code, vintage hardware tinkerers on slow terminals, or historians editing old docs. Suits asm hackers needing vi motions without Linux bloat, or anyone firing up hvi in a minimal CP/M setup.

Verdict

Grab it if you're deep in CP/M retrocomputing—docs cover build, commands, and limits clearly. 12 stars and 1.0% credibility score flag immaturity, but it's stable for its niche; test in an emulator first.

(178 words)

Sign up to read the full AI review Sign Up Free

Similar repos coming soon.