/rescue/vi doesn't work without /usr (no terminal db)

[Alex Zbyslaw]

N.J. Thomas wrote:

>    BUGS
>
>        Most of the rescue tools work even in a fairly crippled system.
>        The most egregious exception is the rescue version of vi(1),
>        which currently requires that /usr be mounted so that it can
>        access the termcap(5) files. Hopefully, a failsafe termcap(3)
>        entry will eventually be added into the ncurses(3) library, so
>        that /rescue/vi can be used even in a system where /usr cannot
>        immediately be mounted.  In the meantime, the rescue version of
>        the ed(1) editor can be used from /rescue/ed if you need to edit
>        files, but cannot mount /usr.
>
>I don't know how old this note is, but I hope the failsafe termcap will
>be added soon.
>
>Thomas
>
>  
>
Will ex not work?  Since it's just vi without graphics it shouldn't need 
a termcap (which doesn't mean it won't want one of course).  What was 
$TERM set to?

Having said that, I can still remember a time when any sysadmin worth 
tuppence would know how to use ed because that was all that worked on a 
teletype :-)

--Alex