This package contains elvis compiled with support for x11, xft and background images. if you don't need the x11 interface, install elvis-console instead. see also: elvis-tools

elvis is a clone of vi/ex, the standard unix editor. it supports nearly all of the vi/ex commands, in both visual mode and ex mode. elvis adds support for multiple files, multiple windows, a variety of display modes (including syntax highlighting, man, tex, html and hex), an optional x11 user interface, on-line help, folding, spell checking, new options, auto commands, regions, enhanced tags, printing, aliases and an improved :map command.

like vi/ex, elvis stores most of the text in a temporary file, instead of ram. this allows it to edit files that are too large to fit in a single process' data space. also, the edit buffer can survive a power failure or crash.