jack@rlgvax.UUCP (Jack Waugh) (12/10/83)
I have used it. The command completion works well, I suppose, for computer operators, who are the intended users. That doesn't mean the same algorithm would be good for programmers or end users. I think must of the operators who use the console are "expert". I certainly was an expert while I was using it. One learns the sequence of characters to type to get the frequently-used commands onto the screen. When typing less frequently used commands, I would watch the screen as I typed. Other operators I observed were not touch typists. The command set does not change very often, so relearning abbreviations is not often necessary. The best thing about the interface was that you knew if a command was syntactactically complete as soon as it was, because it would then be displayed with a rippling intensification running through it. It was easy to pay attention to what you were typing, because the echoed command is in larger letters than most of the display. As I recall, it was also more intense.