Perhaps a better string editing language than "sed" is Tcl. It will do most any "glob" or "regex" string handling, and most anything else. The Tcl array and list tools are worth learning. I like using the text editor "nedit." Nedit has a nice "regex" capability that is well documented. It has been very handy converting large old programs that typically use short variable names, and easily allows me to substitute much larger descriptive names. It has helped me convert C programs to FreePascal, too. It comes with extensive syntax highlighting language definitions pre-configured to provide many examples. And I prefer doing it on a suSe 9.0 pro box running the 2.4 kernel using an old wheel mouse. The wheel mouse allows me better sensitivity to position the cursor between letters. The X window system is configured manually for modern display monitors. The system runs for months at a time and shows 3D macromolecule animation for a screensaver. I have a separate opensuse 12.2 box that does have the needed USB interface for Arduino Uno. But it is rarely used. Mostly I use opensuse 11.3. If my post makes little sense to most of you, likewise.