jeh@simpact.com (11/21/89)
Some suggestions for future versions / patch levels:
1. When posting or folowing-up, the "Summary" and "Keywords" headers should be
prompted for by default.
2. If posting to multiple newsgroups, the "Followup-To" header should be
prompted for, and its default value should be the first newsgroup in the
list.
3. Line editing (as in SET LINE) should be turned on by default, or perhaps
this could be switched via a logical name. Better still, it should be
possible to use the SET LINE command in the NEWSINI.NEWS file (as it is now,
only define/key commands can appear in this file).
--- Jamie Hanrahan, Simpact Associates, San Diego CA
Chair, VMSnet [DECUS uucp] and Internals Working Groups, DECUS VAX Systems SIG
Internet: jeh@simpact.com, or if that fails, jeh@crash.cts.com
Uucp: ...{crash,scubed,decwrl}!simpact!jehlimonce@pilot.njin.net (Tom Limoncelli) (11/21/89)
It would be nice if all the headers could be put into the editor for the user to edit. On returning from the editor, News could check the validity of the headers, and change (for ex) a modified "References:" line back to what is actually referenced. For example, right now my screen (I'm using VNEWS on a Unix box) looks like this: (I've ">" quoted it) --------------------start of screen-shot---------------- >Command: followup >Newsgroups: news.software.anu-news >To: jeh@simpact.com >Subject: Re: Suggested user interface enhancements >Distribution: >References: <733.2567e8ad@simpact.com> > >It would be nice if all the headers could be put into the editor for >the user to edit. On returning from the editor, News could check the >validity of the headers, and change (for ex) a modified "References:" >line back to what is actually referenced. For example, right now my >screen (I'm using VNEWS on a Unix box) looks like this: (I've ">" >quoted it) ---------------------end of screen-shot----------------- I can edit the "Command:" line to "reply" if I want to change what I'm doing. I can change any of the lines. This is really nice and it makes it impossible for me to miss one of the prompts after posting. Also, I've noticed that I'd quite error-prone to ask questions before AND after they are in the editor. It would be quite nice to put all those questions in the editor, then just ask "Are you sure you want to post this? [y]?" (slightly different subject) While I'm posting, I'd also like to request the ability to have a text file displayed before the users posts. I would like to be able to add something that would give some quick instructions and maybe even explain how posts cost money. Sort of like what POSTNEWS on Unix does, abeit without all the conditionals (print xxx if it's yyy newsgroup, etc.); thought that would all be very nice. -Tom -- Tom Limoncelli -- limonce@pilot.njin.net Standard Disclaimer CM 1060 -- tlimonce@drunivac.bitnet P O Box 802 -- ...!rutgers!njin!drew!tlimonce Madison, NJ 07940 -- 201-408-5389 "I do not like green eggs and spam, I do not like them, Sam I am!"
CROBW@acad.cut.oz (Rob Wright, VMS Systems Group) (11/28/89)
In article <733.2567e8ad@simpact.com>, jeh@simpact.com writes: > Some suggestions for future versions / patch levels: > ... > 3. Line editing (as in SET LINE) should be turned on by default, or perhaps > this could be switched via a logical name. Better still, it should be > possible to use the SET LINE command in the NEWSINI.NEWS file (as it is now, > only define/key commands can appear in this file). > > --- Jamie Hanrahan, Simpact Associates, San Diego CA How often have you had a complex command on the screen with the character in column, say, 3, incorrect? And, line edit is off! In this all too common situation the desired feature is to have the line edit flip-flop changed by one out-of-band control character. Naturally, the current status ought to show somewhere on the screen. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Rob Wright | psi%050529452300030::CROBW Curtin University | CROBW%acad.curtin.edu.au@uunet.uu.net Perth, Western Australia | CROBW%acad.curtin.edu.au%munnari.oz@cunyvm.bitnet Voice:+61 9 351 7385 | munnari!acad.curtin.edu.au!CROBW@uk.ac.ukc FAX: 09-351-2673 | {backbones}!munnari!acad.curtin.edu.au!CROBW -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
jeh@simpact.com (11/29/89)
In article <1403@acad.cut.oz>, CROBW@acad.cut.oz (Rob Wright, VMS Systems Group) writes: > How often have you had a complex command on the screen with the character in > column, say, 3, incorrect? And, line edit is off! Oddly -- well, it's probably only odd to me because I've never looked closely at the command line recall stuff -- previous lines are still stored for recall, even if line editing is off! So, after entering the bad command, you can still do SET LINE_EDIT (or whatever your favorite flavor of the command is), recall the bad line, and edit it. The only problem is if the bad line is just too awful to let execute (say, a DELETE command), in which case you can usually corrupt it by adding a few extr parameters, or something. (With line editing on, or at DCL, I just hit backspace and put a ! in front of it, turning it into a comment, then it return, recall it, and edit it.) > In this all too common > situation the desired feature is to have the line edit flip-flop changed by one > out-of-band control character. This would probably require an SMG hack. In any case I see no reason why line editing shouldn't be on by default. --- Jamie Hanrahan, Simpact Associates, San Diego CA Chair, VMSnet [DECUS uucp] and Internals Working Groups, DECUS VAX Systems SIG --------------------------------------+---------------------------------------- Internet: jeh@simpact.com, | "Marty, we're in a DeLorean, he's in a or if that fails, jeh@crash.cts.com | '46 Ford! He'd rip through us like we Uucp: ...{crash,scubed}!simpact!jeh | were tinfoil!" -- Dr. E. Brown (BTTF 2)