macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ex-vilocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install ex-viMacPorts ports tree · editors/ex-vi/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ex-vi with Homebrew, MacPorts, pacman
UTF8-friendly version of traditional vi. Version 050325 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-05.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S ex-vi-compatArch Linux sync databases · ex-vi-compat · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
UTF8-friendly version of traditional vi
Project links
Commands and aliases
- vedit
history
Project history and usage
ex-vi, also known as The Traditional Vi, is a modern Unix port of the original ex/vi editor line, preserving classic vi behavior while adding portability and multibyte character support.
Project history
The project site frames ex-vi as source code for modern Unix systems. It traces vi back to Bill Joy's work at UCB starting around 1976, and notes that the old source became freely usable after Caldera removed usage restrictions from ancient Unix code under a BSD-style license in January 2002.
The port deliberately preserves traditional vi's small size, terminal control style, and feature set. Its changes focus on modern Unix portability, international character-set support including UTF-8, and selected later System V or POSIX.2 behavior.
Adoption history
ex-vi is adopted as a preservation-minded package rather than a modern editor platform. Package managers carry it for users who want traditional vi semantics, not Vim-style extensions.
The official page lists release 050325 as current and points adventurous users to a public CVS repository, while warning that CVS may be less tested than release archives.
How it is used
The vi manual describes vi, view, and vedit as visual-display editors based on ex. vi and ex share the same code, with users able to move between ex command mode and vi visual mode.
The manual documents ~/.exrc as a user configuration file, while the -s script mode explicitly disables EXINIT and .exrc processing.
Why package nerds care
ex-vi matters to package collectors because it is close to historical Unix vi without the larger feature set of clones such as Vim or nvi. It is a compact compatibility and heritage package.
It is also a useful test case for ports that want a real traditional vi, UTF-8 support, and old ex behavior without bundling a much larger editor.
Timeline
- 1976: vi development began at UCB, according to the project site.
- 2002: Caldera removed usage restrictions from ancient Unix code under a BSD-style license.
- 2005: Release 050325 was published as the current release listed by the project page.
- 2007: The project page footer records Gunnar Ritter's 2007-11-29 update.
Related projects
- ex is the line editor base shared with vi in this codebase.
- The project compares itself with vi clones and references the Heirloom Toolchest for CVS build components.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 10 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
~/.exrc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
vedit | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version050325
manager updated2026-06-05
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://ex-vi.sourceforge.net/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://ex-vi.sourceforge.net/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ex-vi |
|---|---|
| Version | 050325 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ex-vi |
| Homepage | https://ex-vi.sourceforge.net/ |
| Repository | https://ex-vi.cvs.sourceforge.net/ex-vi |
| Upstream docs | https://ex-vi.sourceforge.net/ |
| License | BSD-4-Clause AND BSD-4-Clause-UC |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/ex-vi/ex-vi/050325/ex-050325.tar.bz2 |
| Last updated | 2026-06-05T02:30:08+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Uses from macOS | ncurses |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | ex-vi |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Conflicts With |
|
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
MacPorts95%
ex-vi
sudo port install ex-vi- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ex Vi
pacman92%
ex-vi-compat 2-1
The ex and vi commands based on vim's compatibility modes
https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/packaging/packages/ex-vi-compat
sudo pacman -S ex-vi-compat- License: 0BSD
- Architecture: any
- 1 dependencies
- 5 provides
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Vedit
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment