Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!olivea!uunet!mcrware!mwca!bill
From: bill@mwca.UUCP (Bill Sheppard)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os9
Subject: Re: Bugs, Questions on UMacs (OSK)
Keywords: editor bugs howto
Message-ID: <1801@mwca.UUCP>
Date: 4 Feb 91 17:58:16 GMT
References: <1991Feb1.231404.14812@cbnewsd.att.com>
Organization: Microware Systems Corp., Santa Clara, CA
Lines: 54

In article <1991Feb1.231404.14812@cbnewsd.att.com> knudsen@cbnewsd.att.com (michael.j.knudsen) writes:
>I've been using Umacs, Microware's proprietary version of the PD
>editor UEmacs, pretty heavily lately and have some questions and
>gripes...
>
>(1) Is there any way to search-and-replace a given string with NOTHING?

I've done some experimentation here, and I don't believe that in umacs it
is possible. In MicroEmacs 3.9 or 3.10 you can use the command "set $replace"
in a macro or command file and it will clear the replace string.  Umacs (which
is based on MicroEmacs 3.6) doesn't appear to have the "set" command
implemented.

>(3) When creating/editing a .umacsrc or other command file,
>should control characters be entered as themselves (using the M-Q
>"quote" trick), or spelled out as a circumflex (^) then the letter?

In command files the keys should be specified with the textual equivalents -
that is, use the "^" and "M-" strings followed by the key. Don't type the
actual key.

>(4) Is there any way to change to another buffer by name and not
>have to hit ^X1 to get rid of that split screen?

^XB (select-buffer) will allow you to go to another buffer, but the split
screen is an entirely separate issue. If you have a split screen your current
window will go to the new buffer, but the other window(s) will remain where
they are.

>(5) When changing buffers by using ^X^F, I found that Umacs is
>case-sensitive in file names!  I was editing MakeFile, tried to go
>back to it later as Makefile, and got the same file read into a new buffer!

True - you must be careful with this. If you have one buffer MakeFile and one
buffer Makefile, if you exit with M-Z one of the buffers will overwrite the
other (if you have the filenames equal to the buffer names) since OS-9
is not case sensitive w.r.t. filenames.

[various desired features deleted]

>(8) On the plus side, Umacs is fast and not *seriously* buggy in
>the sense of crashing the system, disappearing files, etc...

You may want to find MicroEmacs 3.9 or 3.10 for OS-9 (TOPS and other sources
have them). Source is included so you can add the features you want, and the
command language is substantially more flexible. It's kind of fun tracing
through the code, I've never seen more modular programming (though with as
many people as have made modifications, it's amazing that one can even
trace through it and figure out what's going on...).
-- 
################################################################################
#  Bill Sheppard  --  bills@microware.com  --  {uunet,sun}!mcrware!mwca!bill   #
#  Microware Systems Corporation  ---  OS-9: Seven generations beyond __/_!!   #
#######Opinions expressed are my own, though you'd be wise to adopt them!#######