mjl@ut-emx.UUCP (Maurice LeBrun) (02/25/89)
--- Being a hardened Emacs user (Gnu, MG, MicroEmacs, you name it), the decision to buy CygnusEd Pro was a sort of madness. I mean, I probably wouldn't switch, but I still had to see if it was as fast as everyone said. Well, once I got my copy, I fell in love with the speed, but couldn't part with my beloved emacs command set. There was the memacs macro set that came with distribution, but there were still *so* many differences. Finally I realized that the kill-commands (the biggest compatibility problem) could be mapped onto Emacsian ways by redefining all the kill commands as a (1) mark-block, (2) appropriate move (prev word, next word, end of line), and (3) cut. Then all the kills could be retrieved by a simple yank, though of course multiple kills are lost. To be fair, Emacs would benefit from a separate kill and copy buffer, but a separate word-kill and line-kill buffer (as in CED) is (IMHO) completely unnecessary. As you can guess, I eventually gave up on MG (what I had been using, though I still use it on the vax at work :-), and use CED exclusively. Overall, it is a *fine* product that makes me feel very fortunate to have an Amiga. However, since there is apparently an upgrade in the works, I would like to mention the following problems/gripes that I would like to see fixed: (1) There needs to be some method of viewing macro definitions. It is a real pain to write and debug complex macros without this capability. An easy way of doing this might be to allow macro definition from an ARexx script (I've had no luck with this). (2) The behavior of the end-of-line and beginning-of-line also make it difficult in macro writing. If the cursor's already there, the command FAILS (I don't see how the exhibited behavior can be considered a feature). (3) Rebinding arbitrary keys. Examples: Rebind )]} to insert-<char>; cursor-left; find-matching-bracket; cursor-right (similar to emacs). To GET RID OF the CTRL-<cursor-up> and CTRL-<cursor-down> bindings. Why? Well, with an emacsian command set, CTRL-<key> followed by a cursor move up or down is a fairly common operation. Press that cursor key just a bit too soon (before you've released the CTRL), and POOF! you're now at the beginning or end of the buffer. Extremely, incredibly annoying. To rebind SHIFT-<cursor-right> and SHIFT-<cursor-left>; I've just used these to move by word for too long to change now (so currently I don't use them). Some small ones: (4) Preserve case of file name. Here's the scenario. You have a file named TestCase.doc, and you invoke ced via 1> ed testcase.doc When you next save, it will be saved as 'testcase.doc'. This isn't UNIX, after all. (5) When invoking 'ed' on a file, it should auto expand the buffer for that file (when already open & auto-expand set), not go back to the previous one. (6) I'd like some way of binding to a key those operations which require an argument. 'Repeat key' is one.. I've had no luck mapping this to CTRL-u. Obviously, you do not want to bind the argument itself. (7) On search/replace's, the reply to the prompt always fails (i.e. == No) if typed in upper case, which should be fixed. This may not be a complete list, just those most important to me (or what happened to come to mind right now). Some of these may have already been discussed (I've heard that the asinine 'About' box on startup is being scratched). I really appreciate the support that ASDG is giving this product, and hope CED continues to improve. Maurice LeBrun | "A computer is like a hole in the ground Institute for Fusion Studies | into which you pour money" University of Texas at Austin | Internet: | - some poor, mistaken person, mjl@fusion.ph.utexas.edu | obviously wrong :-)
acs@pccuts.pcc.amdahl.com (Tony Sumrall) (02/25/89)
This could be considered to be commercial. I don't consider it to be so
but you've been warned.
In article <10766@ut-emx.UUCP> mjl@ut-emx.UUCP (Maurice LeBrun) writes
that he is pleased with CED and gave up MG for it.
I had CED for about 3 weeks, spoke with ASDG support once and corresponded
with them several times WRT my feelings about CED--the support was, in
a word, excellent. The editor, on the other hand, was less than what I
expected.
Around Sept. of 1988 I began using Uedit and was pleased with it albeit
a little overwhelmed with its capabilities. Having seen ASDG's ads for
CygnusEd and knowing their reputation, I bought the editor in Jan. of this
year (note that I wasn't unhappy with Uedit but figured that CED would be
much better than Uedit was). I used CED exclusively for 3 weeks and
finally came to the conclusion that it was just not for me.
My beefs (not in any order):
* Couldn't run a macro at file load time so I could do context-based
startup thingies.
* Can't redefine keys via the AREXX interface (tried this in an attempt
to overcome the previous problem).
* All files being editted must be displayed on-screen at all times.
* CED always displays its startup message whenever it comes up...even
if it comes back from its quiescent state.
* Can't customize screen colors when it opens its own screen.
* Hot keys are fixed sequences -- I needed some way to change them.
* No true regular expressions. (Note that Uedit doesn't have re's either).
* While it can edit binary files, a control char causes a new line to
be displayed.
* CED always uses the topaz font.
* Can't review your key redefinitions since it's all done via the
keyboard.
* Only macro capability is via AREXX.
Most, if not all, of the above problems will be fixed, ASDG said, in a
subsequent release of CED (date unknown).
Well, I've gone back to Uedit and am not in the least bit sorry that I
did. Rick Stiles should be congratulated on a superb job. His support of
the product is phenomenal and his dedication to quality is extreme. I
doubt that I will ever stray from Uedit again. Its power, flexibility and
speed are unbelievable (it's not GNU Emacs but, in some ways, I believe
it's better). And all of this for less than $50.
This is not a slam against CED nor ASDG. They have a fine product but it
just doesn't hold a candle to Uedit.
--
Tony Sumrall acs@pccuts.pcc.amdahl.com <=> amdahl!pccuts!acs
[ Opinions expressed herein are the author's and should not be construed
to reflect the views of Amdahl Corp. ]wmark@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Mark Williams) (02/25/89)
In article <10766@ut-emx.UUCP> mjl@ut-emx.UUCP (Maurice LeBrun) writes: About the gripes with CygnusEdPro... >Some small ones: > ... [list of small gripes] >This may not be a complete list, just those most important to me (or what >happened to come to mind right now). Some of these may have already been >discussed (I've heard that the asinine 'About' box on startup is being >scratched). I really appreciate the support that ASDG is giving this >product, and hope CED continues to improve. Agreed. I bought CygEdPro on a whim at AmiExpo in LA last year, as the current versions of Emacs I had were either too inflexible or waaaaaay too complicated for my needs. I have one small gripe to add... CED doesn't retain the protect bits of your file when it is resaved!... I didn't mind this (or even notice it) so much until I got AmigaDOS 1.3, with its support of the 's' protect bit for scripts. Hopefully all the little problems will be addressed with the update... -M- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Williams wmark@cory@ucbvax The opinions stated in no way reflect those of anyone who can fire me. "Sometimes the light... can play tricks on the *eyes*..." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------