byard@dca-ems@sri-unix.UUCP (07/16/83)
From: Larry Byard (WSE-EUR) <byard at dca-ems>
The following is based on three days experience with a Lisa
and a prerelease of of the terminal emulation software, LisaTer-
minal. The rest of the software was the first commercial
release. Overall, I am favorably impressed with LisaTerminal.
It is well thought-out and executed. When combined with
LisaWrite, the word processor, it makes possible the integration
of an extemely good man-machine interface, word processing, and
electronic mail. Its major failing is that it is too slow in
performing some functions; most notably the time required to copy
text from a LisaTerminal window to a LisaWrite (word processor)
window and vice versa, and the actual speed at which the system
can receive data from a host computer. However, the response
time of this release of the basic software is much better than
that in the earlier version I used a few weeks ago. Also, during
the three days, I discovered no bugs in the software.
This version of the software could emulate the DEC VT52 and
VT100 terminals and the garden varity TTY. I used the TTY "mode."
Lisa has two RS-232 serial ports. Both ports can be operated
simultaneously, each associated with a LisaTerminal window. Both
are under software (menu) control. Baud rates can be set to all
of the common speeds up to 19.2K baud. I tested the system at
1200 and 9.6K baud.
LisaTerminal is represented iconically as a tool and a pad of
LisaTerminal stationary. The icon for the tool tells you that
the LisaTerminal software is available for use and where it is
located (on the hard disc or floopy). You can move (erases
source) or copy (backup, etc.) the tool from a floopy to the hard
disc, etc. by "hooking" the icon with the mouse and moving it to
the icon of the hard disc or floopy. The copy and move functions
do what you expect and work very well.
LisaTerminal stationary is used to make LisaTerminal docu-
ments. An open document is a session with a host computer inter-
faced to the appropriate RS-232 port, providing that the port is
designated for remote computer communications (a menu selection
from the overall Lisa preferences menu) and "on-line" has been
selected from the computer compatibililty menu (see below). A
communications configuration (parameter settings) are associated
with each document. To set-up a communications interface for a
particular remote computer/network, you first create a document
by "tearing off" a sheet of stationary from a pad. This can be
done by double clicking the mouse on a LisaTerminal pad. The
document can than be opened in a window by double clicking the
mouse on the iconic representation of the sheet of stationary.
The window contains a blank document and is associated with
appropriate menus for communications. The document is configured
for a host computer with a Computer Compatibility Menu (see
attached representation of the menu for settings available in the
version of LisaTerminal that I used).
You can make, name, store, copy, reuse, and modify as many of
these customized interfaces (LisaTerminal documents) as you
desire. You can also change a piece of terminal stationary into
a pad. The pad contains an infinite supply of customized sta-
tionary (computer interfaces) which can be "torn off," opened,
and used as desired. Sheets and pads are represented with icons
depicting a couple telephone poles with wires strung between
them.
Although all of this may seem somewhat complicated in print,
I found that the metaphors were straight forward and were not
restrictive--they worked well, provided a good deal of flexibi-
lity, and were easy to understand and use. LisaTerminal is func-
tionally consistent with the rest of the system. The conceptual
design is very well done.
Except for a dashed line across the top of the window, a
LisaTerminal document looks just like any other document. Like
most dumb terminals, a LisaTerminal document has a twenty-four
line screen and cursor which is used for sessions with a host
computer. The screen is below the dashed line.
How many times have you cursed your "dumb VT131" because it
spilled stuff of the top screen faster than YOU could hit the "no
scroll" key. How about an "infinite" screen? Unlike a dumb ter-
minal, you can instruct Lisa to remember what goes off the top of
the screen, which is represented by the dashed line. And then,
just like any other window, you can scroll, page, or use the ele-
vator to bring it into view--very nice!
The instruction book states that the top of the document,
above the dashed line, and the screen, below the dashed line, can
be erased separately. The top of the document could be erased
with a menu selection, but erase screen function was not imple-
mented in the version of the software I used. That would be a
handy feature to have.
The terminal screen can be either 80 or 132 characters wide.
The horizontal scroll function works for LisaTerminal windows
just as it does for other windows.
It still takes too much time to open icons, but once they are
open you can do many (not all) things with the windows reasonably
fast, and that is one of the "secrets" to using Lisa effectively.
You can have up two 20 widows open at any one time! However,
depending on the tasks, I found that with five or six of them
open things start to slow way down. With three or four open you
can jump from one window to the other fairly fast (a couple of
seconds or so).
The power (and potential) in Lisa readily becomes apparent
when one starts playing with Lisa windows and my jungle of com-
puter networks. Picture this. Just to see what Lisa could do, I
had one window talking to computer A via serial port A and net-
work A. Another one talking to computer B via port B and network
B. And LisaWrite running in a third window. I was able to
receive in one window while transmitting in another. I could
designate and copy text from either LisaTerminal window to the
LisaWrite window. Likewise I could cut or copy text in the
LisaWrite window and paste it in either the LisaTerminal windows;
i.e., transmit it. Functionally everything worked well.
An aside... There seems to be some misconceptions about
moving text between windows. To do it, first you go to the
source window, designate the text, and select "cut" or "copy"
from the edit menu. Next you go to (activate with two clicks)
the destination window, designate where you want the text that
you copied inserted, and select "paste" from the edit window.
Lisa automatically adjusts the inserted text. You don't have to
interact with the clipboard icon at all. The clipboard has a
copy of the last text block cut or copied and you can open and
look at it, if you desire. All of this is very well orchestrated
and, except for the actual times required for Lisa to execute the
cut, copy, and past commands, can be done very quickly; however,
I would still like to have single commands which do cut-paste and
copy-paste or, better, designate-move-point and designate-copy-
point--no big deal though.
Things I don't like...
It takes too much time to move material between windows. It
took about 20 seconds to copy a page of text from a LisaTerminal
document. It took another 20 seconds to paste it in a LisaWrite
document. That is at least an order of magnitude longer than it
should take. I base that opinion on my experience with a com-
municating CPT word processor and, to a much lesser extent, on
books, etc. that I've read ("with a grain of salt") on human fac-
tors.
I tested LisaTerminal at 9.6K baud (with XON/XOFF on) and it
actually received data at about the same rate that it received it
when operating at 1200 buad; i.e., somewhat less than 1200 BPS, I
would say. Regardless of the baud rate setting, it looks like
Lisa is moving the buffer on the serial port to the screen at a
constant rate. This is fine for most network communications, but
it is not entirely satisfactory for working with local resources.
In my opinion one should be able to get a window full (24 lines)
in one or two seconds. You need that kind of speed if you are
going to take full advantage of menu systems running on other
machines.
Lisa waits too long if an XON is not received after an XOFF.
The user cannot do a thing while it is waiting. Then after
waiting for several minutes Lisa tells you what happened and
turns off the interface!
If communications are lost while Lisa is pasting material to
a LisaTerminal window and then regained, Lisa will resume trying
to paste whatever remains. This makes it nearly impossible to
log into networks, etc. from that window. I had to resort to
"tearing off" a new "interface" to restore connectivity.
Lisa dumps received text into the terminal window in chunks
that are several lines long. This is distracting when trying to
read text as it is received at lower speeds. Text should be
displayed "smoothly," if it is received that way.
If one Lisa document is configured for a specific port and is
"on-line," and the user creates another document for the same
port and tries to turn it on, Lisa tells the user of this fact
and then proceeds to turn off the current document. Before the
user can communicate, he must open the previous document, turn it
off, and go back to the desired document and turn it back on.
This happens even if the previous document has been reduced to
iconic form. There should be a much easier way to turn inter-
faces on and off.
I did not try to print any LisaTerminal documents. I was
told that it connot be done directly. Text has to be copied to
LisaWrite first. I understand that the released version of the
software will have the capability.
Recommended Improvements (in addition to correcting the
above)...
1. Programmable login sequences, including the auto-dial
capability as a step, pauses, and conditional statements.
2. Keyboard translation tables (send and receive) associated
with each LisaTerminal document.
3. Electronic mail consists of messages encapsulated in
electronic forms. Fields usually include time stamp, from, to,
cc, subject or re, and text. Capabilites to recognize these
fields, to index messages by field entries, to build abstracts of
messages, and to retrieve messages from aggregates of abstracts
(listings) and queries based on logical/arithmetic combinations
of field specifications would be extremely useful. LisaForm?
4. I've run out of steam ....
I'll close by stating again that I had a prerelease of the soft-
ware. The pluses outweigh the minuses. From what I have seen, I
expect that the product will be improved.
Larry
----------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Compatibility Characteristics
Connector: -- Serial A -- Serial B +---------+
Parity: -- None -- Even -- Odd | Cancel |
Handshake: -- None -- DTR -- XON/XOFF +---------+
Baud Rate: -- 50 -- 75 -- 110
-- 134.5 -- 150 -- 200
-- 300 -- 600 -- 1200
-- 1800 -- 2000 -- 2400
-- 3600 -- 4800 -- 9600
-- 19200
Modem: -- Hayes 1200 -- Hays 300 -- Other
Dial: -- Automatic -- Manual
Terminal: -- VT100 -- VT52 -- TTY
Duplex: -- Full -- Half
Auto New-Line: -- On -- Off
Communication: -- On (On-Line) -- Off (Local)
Tab Ruler: -- Show -- Hide
Status Lights: -- Show -- Hide
Columns per Line:-- 80 -- 132
Wraparound: -- On -- Off
Auto Repeat -- On -- Off
Margin Bell -- On -- Off +---------+
Cursor -- Block -- Bar | OK |
Background -- White -- Black +---------+
(I'm not sure that I got this 100% correct; if not, it is close.
The two dashes in front of each selection represent boxes in the
actual display. When you pass over one of them with the mouse a
check mark appears. Clicking the mouse selects the box and Lisa
fills it in (reverse video). The two large boxes, "Cancel" and
"OK," are also activated by the mouse. The instruction book men-
tions "custom functions" which will be added later.)