fox@marlow.uucp (Paul Fox) (02/24/89)
Well netlanders, I've had one or two requests for a quick resume
of the editor CRISP which I recently mentioned on the net.
CRISP is a 100% compatable version of the BRIEF editor. BRIEF
currently is a commercial product which has nothing to do with
me but only runs under MS-DROSS. CRISP runs on Unix and VMS.
(I even know of someone who has ported it to a Apple IIGS).
CRISP is actually a superset of BRIEF.
In essence CRISP has a lot of the major features of Emacs but
has better features in some areas:
- Supports multiple windows on screen - limited only by
virtual memory.
- Supports color terminals and line drawing graphic characters
for drawing borders.
- Marked areas appear in a user specified color scheme so
that you can see what you are about to cut/copy.
- Keyboard macros.
- Fully functional and complete programming macro language
which is a hybrid between C/Lisp/ELisp. The language is not
as complete as GNU Emacs, but is smaller.
- The binary is usually 1/4 the size of the GNU Emacs binary.
- Supports programmable keyboard layouts - current definitions
include PC/AT keyboards for Interactive & Microport Unix,
Xenix 386, Sun 3 and 386i keyboards - both for Suntools and
X11r3 (xterm), RTPC 6150.
- Comes complete with a set of macros which perform the following
functions:
vi-type tags function
hex/octal/dec calculator.
popup ascii table.
Brace/bracket matching a la vi and Emacs.
shells running in windows.
make macro to do a make in a window and take you
to the lines in your files which have syntax errors in them.
on-line help. The help files are masturbatable by
the makeman macro which will produce a troff file which
can then be used to generate a hardcopy listing for the
documentation.
lint macro to lint your source files and take you to the
lines in your files with questionable errors.
word-counter.
grep macro which allows you to go to each file which
matches the grep pattern.
spelling checker macro.
macro to produce a list of C functions in a C file or typedefs/structs
in a .h file or yacc rules in a .y file, or section headings
in .mm (nroff/troff files).
This lot is easy to add to for other file types.
supports abbreviations at the command prompt.
supports file name completion and full csh-like wildcarding.
towers of hanoi (modelled after the one in Emacs).
fully programmable color schemes - works with mono screens too.
ability to edit binary files.
autosaves files and creates backups in either current directory
or user specified directory.
- infinite levels of undo.
- Macro language looks like a lisp-like language, but supports the following
major data types: integer (32-bit), infinite length strings,
lists, and polymorphic variables. Polymorphic variables are needed
to walk down lists containing arbritrary data types.
In summary, CRISP was developed because I fell in love with this
editor under DOS, and got fed up with vi. At the time I did not
have a copy of Emacs, which I proabably would have used.
CRISP is designed to be usable on 286 class machines and so is fast
for most of of the usual editing things. It has a very good (in my
opinion) screen updating algorithm.
It stores files it is editing in memory and so is like Emacs
in that it is a VM hog, but for typical editing sessions
the physical memory size of a n executable image rarely
goes above about 750K whilst editing 10 files say.
Its greatest asset is having color on screen - this makes it very
nice when highliting text etc.
The software is sort of in the public domain. I am the original
and only author. It is available and supported on the BIX conferencing
system in the states, and the software can be freely distributed
with the proviso that no-one is allowed to make money out of it
without letting me know first, ie you can give it away but not
necessarily sell it (except for media costs).
I have been planning for about a year to send it out
to comp.sources.?? but as yet I am not happy with the comp.sources.unix
newsgroup ability to get this thing out fast. At the current
rate, it could take 3-6 months to appear on the net and I would
be two or more versions ahead of the net.
If anyone has any enquiries then please mail me at the
address below. I would like to send it out on the net
but would like some suggestions as where to post it.
The source + macros etc comes to about 1MB of space.
=====================
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