[comp.sys.amiga.advocacy] Emacs for the Amiga 1000 ?

vinsci@nic.funet.fi (Leonard Norrgard) (01/13/91)

In article <17492@cbmvax.commodore.com> andy@cbmvax.commodore.com (Andy Finkel) writes:
>In article <VINSCI.91Jan12070716@nic.nic.funet.fi> vinsci@nic.funet.fi (Leonard Norrgard) writes:
>>In article <17399@cbmvax.commodore.com> andy@cbmvax.commodore.com (Andy Finkel) writes:
>>>
>>Of course. But one of them is more standard than the other is. It is
>>not Gosling's Emacs, and you know that.
>>
>>>   Just because something is different than what you're use to
>>>   does not indicate the presence of a bug.
>>
>>It is inconsistent with the GNU Emacs on your Unix release. That's a
>>user interface bug to me. (And of course; who use Gosling's Emacs? :-)
> That's a really, really weak point;  Oddly enough, AmigaOS
>is *different* from Unix.  As is its user interface.  Its a different
>operating system.  It comes with different features.

Oddly enough, AmigaOS microemacs resembles the GNU Emacs to the point
of confusion when one use them.  I will not discuss the OS here, all
I'm interested in is the editor. (Can we leave the sarcasms now and go
on with the discussion?)

>  By your logic
>GNU emacs has a bug because it doesn't have an insert mode like VI.

GNU Emacs happen to have a VI mode, and insert mode is available
there. Appearantly someone thought that the lacking of a VI mode was a
problem with GNU Emacs and fixed it.

> Further, MicroEmacs has been around for quite awhile, longer
>than we've been shipping GNU emacs.

  I'm only asking for a set of GNU Emacs bindings for the subset of
the GNU Emacs commands that your MicroEmacs support and a way to
enable it in the editor.

This is the output from GNU Emacs, M-x describe-function set-gosmacs-bindings:
	set-gosmacs-bindings:
	Rebind some keys globally to make GNU Emacs resemble Gosling Emacs.
	Use M-x set-gnu-bindings to restore previous global bindings.

The el code for the function is real short (see gosmacs.el in the lisp
directory), so the reverse of it shouldn't be hard to do either, esp.
since you already have implemented rebinding functions.

>>One of the main points with emacs [whether it is the full GNU
>>Emacs or some subset] is that it looks and works the same way on all
>>the machines for which it is available, is that too much to ask for?
> Actually, the main point of real emacs is that it is extensible.
> You seem to have deleted the line suggesting you just rebind
>the keys in microemacs ot match the command set you are use to,
>so I'll mention it again.

I know I can rebind the keys, but you seem to think that people only
use one single Amiga all the time. I frequently use customer's
machines and I can't rebind the keymap every time I fire up an emacs
(and certainly not permanently). I've installed MG2a on the customer
machines I use most often as a temporary solution.
  The problem of several people using the same Amiga (all of whom of
course wan't everything to behave differently) was discussed at the
Paris DevCon last year. Has there been any developments in that
direction? They would sure be appreciated... (I don't want to hear
that the Amiga is a single-user machine, but I can live with "it is a
single-user-at-a-time machine" even if it easily could be more than
that).

>		   andy

-- Leonard

andy@cbmvax.commodore.com (Andy Finkel) (01/15/91)

In article <VINSCI.91Jan13135512@nic.nic.funet.fi> vinsci@nic.funet.fi (Leonard Norrgard) writes:
>Oddly enough, AmigaOS microemacs resembles the GNU Emacs to the point
>of confusion when one use them.  I will not discuss the OS here, all
>I'm interested in is the editor. (Can we leave the sarcasms now and go
>on with the discussion?)

That's true;  GNU emacs resembles Gosling Emacs to the point of confusion.



>  I'm only asking for a set of GNU Emacs bindings for the subset of
>the GNU Emacs commands that your MicroEmacs support and a way to
>enable it in the editor.

Ah...this is different from what you asked at first; claiming that
a different command set is a 'bug'

>
>This is the output from GNU Emacs, M-x describe-function set-gosmacs-bindings:
>	set-gosmacs-bindings:
>	Rebind some keys globally to make GNU Emacs resemble Gosling Emacs.
>	Use M-x set-gnu-bindings to restore previous global bindings.
>
>The el code for the function is real short (see gosmacs.el in the lisp
>directory), so the reverse of it shouldn't be hard to do either, esp.
>since you already have implemented rebinding functions.

In the immortal words of Knuth; 'This is left as an exercise for the
reader'

>I know I can rebind the keys, but you seem to think that people only
>use one single Amiga all the time. I frequently use customer's
>machines and I can't rebind the keymap every time I fire up an emacs
>(and certainly not permanently). I've installed MG2a on the customer
>machines I use most often as a temporary solution.

If the customer is willing to let you install your own editor on his/her
machine, I'll bet you could also install a configuration file of your
own, too.  Or you could bring your own configuration file on a floppy.
Key binding, of course, works best from a configuration file.

>-- Leonard
	
>  The problem of several people using the same Amiga (all of whom of
>course wan't everything to behave differently) was discussed at the
>Paris DevCon last year. Has there been any developments in that
>direction? They would sure be appreciated... (I don't want to hear

The answer, of course, is in configuration files and preference
presets under 2.0.

If its really important to you, then you will take the time to set
up a presets disk for yourself, including configuration files for the
application packages on your customer's machines that you intend to
use.  If its not important to you, you won't.

			andy



-- 
andy finkel		{uunet|rutgers|amiga}!cbmvax!andy
Commodore-Amiga, Inc.

"God was able to create the world in only seven days because there
 was no installed base to consider."

Any expressed opinions are mine; but feel free to share.
I disclaim all responsibilities, all shapes, all sizes, all colors.

jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers) (01/20/91)

Quoted from <188d53e3.ARN09950@prolix.ccadfa.oz.au> by dac@prolix.ccadfa.oz.au (Andrew Clayton):
> In article <10445.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz>, John Bickers writes:

> A resizable window. You can have up to ten files open. I've never wanted more
> than 4 (and even that was overkill). If you're really mad keen, you can have

    I've wanted more than 4. Mostly a bunch of source files. I tend to
    have two buffers visible, and edit one while jumping around with the
    other (in n source files). CED loads files faster than MicroEMACS
    though, so there's not so much benefit from having all the files one
    needs in memory at the same time.

> respect that Memacs can do repeats differently to CED, but CED CAN and DOES
> enable you to do whatever you want within key-assignable macros, or Arexx

    I agree here. There's nothing MicroEMACS can do that CED can't be
    made to do, and do quicker, except for the named commands thing. My
    contention is just that the arcane arts are faster (for the user).

    This does make sense, considering that emacs in its various forms
    has had a lot more time to evolve than CED. Where CED hammers it into
    the dust is with the clickety-click stuff, and Amiga-specific coded
    speed.

> 'more convenient' is a loaded term.

    Heh.

> Where is the replacement in MEmacs for the superb file requestor built into
> CED?  Wanna open a file in MEmacs?  You better damn well know the name of it,

    True. On the other hand, if I'm sitting away from the mouse...

> Either MEmacs or CED is far better than Ed or Edit. Let's agree on that.

    Done.

> Dac
--
*** John Bickers, TAP, NZAmigaUG.        jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz ***
***         "Patterns multiplying, re-direct our view" - Devo.          ***