ral@pyuxqq.UUCP (R A Levenberg) (05/25/85)
Here's results of a query I sent to the Net some time ago. Thanks to the respondees. >I'm looking for ways people are using IBM PCs, XTs, ATs, >or compatibles, for increasing productivity. Any neat, innovative ideas? >Do you just use Crosstalk to make the PC look like a dumb terminal? >Do you offload editing from your main host? >What PC-based editors do you use (must be more than EDLIN!) > >Our Division has a single HP 150, an IBM PC, and four ATs, and we are >looking for more in order to replace dumb (or at least literate) >terminals of the HP 2621P variety that technically oriented >people now use for COBOL programming, C programming, shell programming, >electronic (UNIX) mail, and word processing. > >As an aside, I've noticed the text on my color monitor on the AT >is awfully lousy. Any experiences with the new enhanced IBM monitor >with enhanced color graphics board (forget the Professional) >and with the Princeton SR-12? I can't expect people to use a PC >if the display is of much poorer quality than their terminals. > >Ron Levenberg, Bell Communications Research >3 Corporate Place >Room 2c-315 >Piscataway, NJ 08854 >(201) 981-6178 >..!allegra!pyuxqq!ral Each response begins with a line containing a bunch of '=' signs. =============================================================================== Our Sperry-based application requires Teletype 40/4 terminals or compatibles (e.g., IBM 3270) to execute transactions. I've implemented a technique that our Human Performance Engineering group is using to mechanize documentation of screens used with our main-frame based application. The procedure uses an IBM PC/AT or IBM-compatible and the Crosstalk XVI communications package in vt100 emulation mode to execute transactions through a Datastream protocol converter that maps vt100 to 40/4. We can save screen inputs and outputs in a DOS file on the PC (using Crosstalk's PICTURE command), upload the saved screen images to UNIX (using Crosstalk's XXMODEM command), and, finally, massage the screen outputs for formating with nroff and printing on a laser printer. The procedure is intended to replace manual procedures that use the terminal local print function to obtain paper copies of screen images that are later incorporated as exhibits in deliverable documents. Disadvantages of these manual procedures are that the local print copy is of poor quality; human intervention is required to make reduced copies, draw a frame around the screen image, and cut and paste; and the use of paper copy rules out mechanization of document delivery. The same technique can be used for automatically formating view graph transparencies from actual transaction outputs. This could improve quality and productivity in the development of training materials. Since no host modifications are required, the technique is applicable to any application, whether Sperry-based, IBM-based, or even UNIX-based. On UNIX, I have a program that splits up the file containing all the screen images into separate files. Since Crosstalk's PICTURE command doesn't seem to always save 24 lines, each PICTURE command is followed by a RUN COPY SCREEN.PIC+SCREEN.DLM to copy the delimiter EndOfScreen in the file screen.dlm to the end of screen.pic. The HPE people are shielded from many of the shenanigans by using Crosstalk's capability of programming function keys. One key initializes the file screen.pic on the PC, another appends the current screen image to the file screen.pic, and another uploads screen.pic to UNIX. Ron Levenberg, Bell Communications Research 3 Corporate Place Room 2c-315 Piscataway, NJ 08854 (201) 981-6178 ..!allegra!pyuxqq!ral =============================================================================== >From noao!utastro!nather Sun Mar 10 03:14:50 1985 remote from allegra Our department has aquired several PCs, XTs & ATs through an IBM "give away" program called "Project Quest," and since I got the first one, I sort of inherited the problem you mention. My first thought was to use PC/IX, since we run 4.2bsd Unix on our departmental Vax. That was a disaster -- the thing was s l o w and *very* hard to configure to look at all like 4.2bsd [e.g. no csh, no vi, etc] and would lock out the keyboard and pre-empt the hard disk for no obvious reason. Since MS-DOS looks a bit like Unix if you stand far away and squint your eyes, I decided to make a few "Unix-like" utilities available, just to see how it went. It went far better and faster than I had ever hoped, since I found other kindred souls on Usenet were doing the same thing. By writing some code, modifying some and scrounging in the public domain, I have managed to put together a respectable set of utilities, mostly written in C. I call the package "PCnix" and several people in the Dept. and elsewhere are using it happily. It's far from complete but, togther with the 4.2bsd "alias" facility, each can be bent in the other's direction until you can type the same commands, for the most part, either locally or vax-connected and get the same result. We don't have "vi" for the PC and really don't want it -- the "shareware" program called PC-WRITE is, in the unanimous opinion of our users, far better and easier to use. I have defined the keypad keys so they do the same thing in "vi" command mode that they do in PC-WRITE -- which is modeless -- and this helps some. We use MS-DOS Kermit to communicate and are delighted with it -- it emulates most of an H19 `terminal, and we have a modifed termcap for it (pch19) that works fine. It runs comfortably at 9600 baud. We discussed ethernet, decided to try Kermit first, and see liitle need to do otherwise. When we need to pass digital images back and forth this will change, I expect, but we don't need it yet. Here's a list of commands from the on-line "help" facility: PCnix Commands Available (Type "help xx" to get more on command "xx"): c3 Display up to 3 files in parallel in char, octal, hex & decimal cc Compile, assemble & link a DeSmet C program cic Compile, assemble & link a CI-C86 C program ch Change directory on a drive and list its filenames cp Make another copy of a file diff Find minimal differences between two text files du Summarize disk usage in designated part of file hierarchy ed PC-WRITE - a powerful, modeless editor for word processing ffind Find path to filename(s) on the designated drive grep Search a text file for a pattern help Print this command list hd Show hex codes in a file k Connect to the Vax using Kermit keydo Command history mechanism using keypad keys ls List filenames in a directory p or more Display file contents - can also make command codes visible poof Invoke Wordproof to proofread a text file pr PC-WRITE print formatter pwd Print working directory and drive rm DOS file delete command applied repetitively see Simple screen editor for writing programs split Split a long file into shorter segments, gracefully sr Search & replace many strings in parallel in a text file str Find the ASCII strings in a binary file tail Display the tail end of a file's contents tr Unix character transliteration filter uniq Remove (or print) duplicate lines in a text file wc Count lines, words and characters in a text file Overall, the environment is fairly friendly on a hard disk, or on a PC with enough memory for a reasonable-sized RAM-disk to hold the utilities. I've modified the filename separator character so paths are the same on both (e.g. /usr/cmd/src/more.c). The MS-DOS commands are still available, but seldom used (except for "format.") =============================================================================== From pyuxww!gamma!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!houxm!whuxl!whuts!modl Wed Dec 31 19:00:00 1969 Try looking at the SPF/PC editor, available from Command Technology Corp. (Ask for Barry Patton 415-339-3530)This package is a micro version of IBM's SPF package. It provides full screen editing, communications support, extended memory (up to 16Meg) on the AT, browse/edit of multiple files sim- ultaneously, etc. Both color and monochrome monitors are supported. Once you use this package you won't be happy with anything else whuxg!2212msr Max Robin/AT&T Bell Laboratories =============================================================================== From uucp Fri Mar 8 11:10 EST 1985 >From tjt Fri Mar 8 11:05 EST 1985 remote from twitch Hi, My personal feelings (for what they're worth) are that in a corporate environment such as ours, with lots of people working on projects together and interacting in various ways, using PCs actually decreases productivity. Better response time and lots of interesting software to play with are certainly attractive, but when it comes to: - Backups - general administration, hardware maintanence, putting things together - transfering files - Buying separate copies of expensive software for each PC. I think the PCs quickly lose any advantage they have and become detrimental to productivity. Even if you think people are working in isolation, and that PCs can work effectively, the time lost in trying to get files transferred reliably and effortlessly can be a tremendous factor. 3B2s have an advantage because their software is virtually identical to bigger System V's, but still the administration required by EACH USER is staggering (see netnews articles on the frustrations of people trying to get the right software versions, etc.). Now, if you don't get PCs, that means that you must rely on main(mini)frames for everything, so management must be prepared to provide an adequate supply of those (and administration) so that poor response time does not drive people back to the PCs, which is exactly what is happening now. ...Tim Thompson...AT&T Bell Labs...Holmdel/NJ...inhp4!twitch!tjt... Room 3C-234 x4339 =============================================================================== From: allegra!decvax!mcnc!idis!trio (gst-LTad nick trio) Hi Ron, I work at a research center at the University of Pittsburgh, and I wanted to let you know what we use our PC's for. Currently, we have 2 XT's, and have a plain-vanilla PC and an AT on the way. Mostly, they're used for word processing (writing articles, papers, etc.). We primarily use two editors - WordStar and FinalWord (I'm currently doing a policy analysis here to determine what, if any, standardization in word processing is necessary for our center). My personal preference is PC-Write, a public-domain full-screen editor. It has a lot of very nice features and the cost is perfect (since it's free). We also do mailing lists, budget work (with Louts 1-2-3), communicate with our DEC-10's and up/download files (using PC-Talk or Kermit). I also do system development and generally screw around with them after work. I have noticed a problem with productivity in relation to PC's. One of the bosses uses WordStar and one uses FinalWord. Since they often give work to our secretaries after they started it, it necessitates secretaries needing to learn both. Then, to do editing/word processing on the mainframes, one must learn a new editor and new processor. Those are just some random thoughts on PC's. If you would like a copy of PC- Write, just send me a blank DSDD disk and a self-adressed stamped mailer and I'll drop a copy in the mail for you. My address: Nicholas R. Trio University Center for Social and Urban Research University of Pittsburgh 1617 Cathedral of Learning Pittsburgh, PA 15260 =============================================================================== On a machine that is used primarily for text input, which seems to apply to your applications, I strongly recommend a IBM Monochrome Display. It would be a much cheaper solution to your problem even if you had two displays for each PC. P. Michael Guba ...seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!pmg ...rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!aplvax!pmg =============================================================================== From: packard!bjr (B Ruddock) Ron, The ATT PC6300 color monitor is much better ... :-) Bernie =============================================================================== From: Steve Dennett <packard!harvard!SRI-NIC.ARPA:DENNETT> Funny you should ask about productivity-- one of the staff here said to me last week "Why DO we have all these pc's instead of terminals?". Right now terminal emulation is about all they're used for, though I'm hoping to get some project management software. Seems like the main benefits (theoretically) of pc's are 1) they allow the use of some inexpensive, sophisticated, and (relatively) user friendly software that can do things (esp. graphics) that are costly and difficult to do on mainframes, and 2) if your mainframe is heavily loaded, they allow local word/data processing with greater speed. Steve Dennett dennett@sri-nic =============================================================================== Since my query, I have seen the IBM Enhanced Color Monitor used with the Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA). Using either one to replace the Basic variety gives some improvement, but the result is striking when both are used together. The quality is different from that of the Princeton SR-12 with scandoubler, but I guess I'd be hard pressed to say I prefer one over the other. There are compatibility issues, e.g., Sidekick and Framework did not run with the EGA. Sidekick did run on the SR-12. I guess companies will be jumping on the EGA bandwagon (as DRI's GEM has) to support the EGA. I believe that is the direction technology is taking us. Ron Levenberg, Bell Communications Research 3 Corporate Place Room 2c-315 Piscataway, NJ 08854 (201) 981-6178 ..!allegra!pyuxqq!ral