rouaix@fitou.uucp (Francois Rouaix) (10/11/89)
In article <8Z=r0qy00WE501I2hz@andrew.cmu.edu> ms0p+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Gordon Shapiro) writes: >I have discovered, through serendipitous experimentation, a really great >(albeit obscure) public domain text editor that tops everything I've ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ more on this and distribution later. >seen, except perhaps CygnusEd... it's called AZ, and it's a french >import. It has a clean interface, and is extremely well-programmed from >the Amiga perspective (uses the clipboard, RJ Mical's file requestor, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ To be honest, it is NOT RJ's file requester. Version 1.40 has a file requester from Gauthier Groult, with many fancy features, and an amusing "led" that lights during disk access. Later version have a simplified (but also clean) file requester by Alex Livshits. > Plus, it has something I've never seen in a text editor before (or, for >that matter, any Amiga WP programs...) an UNDO function! It's certainly Among the nice features, there is a technical point which is not usual in text editors. Each buffer/window is a separate task, sharing the same code. It means that if you're printing a file from one window, you are still able to edit in the others. AZ also uses the clipboard. It is one of the best examples of a euro-programmer (ick ;-)) software that follows guidelines of Commodore (keymaps, clipboard, clean intuition support). I can tell you that is has been tested on an alpha release of 1.4 + ECS in productivity mode, and works. >better than some commercial efforts like TxEd, unless you really need >the ARexx, and the author doesn't demand any exhorbant shareware fee for >a "nondistributable version with added features like text entry, load >and save options, etc.' If you also need macros, then you should use DME, as acknowledged in the docs by the author. The major advantage of AZ is that it is really easy to use, let's say *intuitive*. You'll have to read the docs if you want to know every little feature of AZ, but if you just run AZ and play with it, you will have a good idea of the comfort it provides. About the distribution, the author *insists* that the program is distributed FREE. The distribution permission is quite strict, forbidding download in commercial networks and even inclusion in most so-called PD libraries, with a special exception for the famous and honorable Fred Fish collection. This is probably the reason why AZ has not spread so fast as other PD editors outside of France. >The one caveat is that the doc file is in French, and if you ignore it >you miss some nice features (such as how to make the window colors more >pleasant). There is an english version of the docs, well, maybe not real english since it has been translated in the wee hours of a certain night during Frankfurt European Devcon... Anyway this version is available on a Fish Disk. The latest version (1.43) should be on its way to Fred Fish, or will be RSN. >Still, for the non-francophobe programmer, this is certainly >one of the best. Get it NOW. No doubt about it ! --Francois *- Francois Rouaix // We are all prisoners here, * *- rouaix@inria.inria.fr \X/ of our own device * *- SYSOP of Sgt. Flam's Lonely Amigas Club. (33) (1) 39-55-84-59 (Videotex) * Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are my own, not those of my employer.