vim: errors launching "/usr/bin/vi

[Marco Atzeri]

On 20/12/2023 03:47, Beau James via Cygwin wrote:
> This problem appeared with my most recent Cygwin update that included an 
> update to "vim".
> 
> My Cygwin installation now show vim version 9.0.2115.
> 
> Launching VIM from the shell running in a mintty window using the full 
> pathname "/usr/bin/vim" works fine.
> 
> But launching "/usr/bin/vi" (which has worked fine for many years, until 
> the most recent update), results in a long string of startup E319 errors:
> 
>>     $ /usr/bin/vi
>>     Error detected while processing /usr/share/vim/vim90/filetype.vim:
>>     line   11:
>>     E319: Sorry, the command is not available in this version: let
>>     did_load_filetypes = 1
>>     line   14:
>>     E319: Sorry, the command is not available in this version: let
>>     s:cpo_save = &cpo
>>     line   48:
>>     E319: Sorry, the command is not available in this version: func
>>     s:StarSetf(ft)
>>     line   52:
>>     E319: Sorry, the command is not available in this version: endfunc
>     etc. etc.
> 
> Note that the startup errors appear only when using the full pathname 
> "/usr/bin/vi". Using the command name alone ("vi") relying on the search 
> path does not trigger the startup errors; using either the full pathname 
> "/usr/bin/vim" or the command name alone "vim" relying on the search 
> path does not trigger the startup errors.
> 

vi is usually an alias to vim

$ alias | grep vi

  alias vi='vim'

so you are in reality calling vim

$ which vim
/usr/bin/vim


I am investigating the /usr/bin/vi issue