Aucb.835
fa.editor-p
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!C70:editor-people
Sat Apr  3 16:12:36 1982
IBM hardware and screen editors
>From cbosgd!mark Sat Apr  3 16:09:43 1982
I've given this problem some thought in the past, although I have never
actually used such hardware.  I think it is possible to come up with
a semi-reasonable screen editor, you just have to accept that you have to
type a bit more (a multi letter command with enter at the end).

One major advantage to this approach is that the editor syntax can have the
same rules as the command interpreter.  For example, on UNIX, you can have
editor commands that look like shell commands.  This, in theory, makes it
easier for a new user to get started since there is only one syntax to learn.
Also, you can do the same kinds of things with the commands that you can with
the shell: history list, macros, etc.  Another advantage is that you can see
what you're typing, even get it replayed legibly.

I also believe that IBM terminals have 12 function keys that wake up
immediately, allowing you to provide several one-key commands.

My thesis used a line-oriented syntax such as this.  I tried to use it and
it drove me nuts.  I quickly put in a macro capability so that control
characters and function keys could be used as one-key commands.  This helped
a lot.  But I am very used to vi, and I can't honestly say how much of my
revulsion to the syntax was because I was very used to another editor, and
how much was due to the line oriented nature of the input language.

You also have to address input mode vs command mode.  The problem is not very
different from that in vi/emacs/rand style editors, but at a line level.
Either you have a mode, or you prefix either all commands or all text
with a "command button".  I settled for having a mode, so that the mode
determines which type of input requires the command button - this allows
a naive user to believe that all commands require the button and there is
no notion of modes.

I saw a screen editor at Amdahl for their version of UNIX using IBM terminals.
They could edit just as fast with it as I could with vi, although the screen
flashed and flickered a lot.  It seemed to depend on the 56KB line.
I'm not sure, but I think the cursor was always on the command line, making
one of the most important screen editor functions (moving the cursor until it
is where you want on the screen) virtually useless.  I know this was true out
of the editor but I can't remember inside - I hope I'm wrong.

       Mark

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