Subject:   -23- Why don't the arrow keys work in vi?
Date: 04 May 1994 00:00:01 EST

  Arrow keys send more than one character, and vi can misinterpret them
  as multiple single-character commands on slow connections. Increase
  vi's patience by putting the command 'set timeout=400' (or a larger
  or smaller number to your taste) in the file ~/.exrc or the EXINIT
  environment variable.  See also the ex(1) and vi(1) manpages.

  Or use h, j, k and l. Or jot or Emacs.

  Incidentally, an article in the March/April 1994 Pipeline discusses a
  variety of 'vi' tips and tricks.