hakanson@orstcs.cs.ORST.EDU (03/18/87)
<yum!> I have a request, or maybe a plea, if you care to call it that. We are just getting microemacs 3.8b from mod.sources, and it really looks nice. But it still lacks two things that will make it useful enough here to install in preference to other offerings: (1) It is not compatible with GNU-emacs. This is a minor thing, really, but it is a lot of work to make microemacs behave like GNU-emacs, and I'm sure a lot of people would like their fingers to know the same commands on their big computers and small ones alike (and some might even want long lines to wrap). (2) It does not use insert/delete line and/or character on devices which support these capabilities. This lack is a big one, because it makes microemacs miserable to use at slow line speeds. I know it's difficult to do this, or I'd do it myself, but some of us have smart terminals so we can edit over slow connections. I am using MicroGnuEmacs right now, and it is the microemacs of choice both on our VAX (BSD) at work, and on my Atari ST at home, for just the above two reasons. MG doesn't use insert/delete character, and I really wish it did, but its display code is still far superior to that of UE 3.7 (and 3.8, from what little I've looked at it), especially at 1200 baud, and on overworked VAXes. The (sort of) GNU compatible startup files (and MG's flow-mode) are very nice, as well. I'd really like to be able to use all the nifty features that UE 3.8b has (especially the limited ability to edit long lines, along with the nice machine (ST) specific capabilities), but I can live without them much more easily than I can the basic functions above. So how about it? Is anyone working on merging these two excellent efforts into one "product"? If so, then how's it going, and if not, then would someone please consider it? And let's not clog the net with "me too's" -- if you have similar wishes for one perfect microemacs, just send them to me, and I'll summarize if there are any (and disappear if there are none :-). But if you are working on such a beast, let us all know about it. Marion Hakanson CSnet: hakanson%oregon-state@csnet-relay UUCP : {hp-pcd,tektronix}!orstcs!hakanson