Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!menudo.uh.edu!sugar!ficc!peter
From: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: One user's editor wish list
Message-ID: <13O9MVA@xds13.ferranti.com>
Date: 23 Feb 91 14:10:20 GMT
References: <1991Feb22.134323.20410@scrumpy@.bnr.ca>
Reply-To: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva)
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Lines: 59

Whether an editor should wrap lines is a matter of taste, and de gustibus non
est disputandum (the windy bus is not arguing). I like wrapped lines because
I don't like the editor hiding things from me. Other people don't. An ideal
editor allows this to be an option changeable at a moment's notice.

Stripping trailing blanks, turning tabs into spaces, and so on... that should
again be an option. I don't like an editor making changes to the body of my
file without my consent. Other people could care less about the purity of the
bits. One useful feature of the old Wang WP systems was that all spaces, tabs,
and so on were visible. Perhaps this should be part of the word processing
mode (yes, mode).

I like modal editors, because I like to keep my fingers on the keyboard, so
function keys are useless to me. (aside, one reason I like Microsoft Windows
user interface, for all its obscene cruft, is that it doesn't force me to use
a mouse). If some sort of alt key were standardised this would be less of a
problem, though this leads to I18N confusion when ALT becomes overloaded with
diacriticals and the like.

This gets into editing keys. I don't use them. When using an editor that
requires them I find they break my concentration. They should be optional.
Ideally the whole keyboard should be bindable, but one of the default bindings
should put all the commands under my fingers. This would avoid the "other
guy's macros" problem.

When browsing, I prefer to use a mouse. When editing, the keyboard. Function
keys and keypads are at best a poor compromise. But don't keep people from
using them!

Speaking of which, key bindings, macros, and the like MUST MUST MUST be in
plain text files I can edit. This goes for all other setup files for other
programs as well.

Moving beyond the end of a line... again, a matter of taste. Some people think
of a file as a plane, others as a stream. If you're a stream person putting
characters where there is no line causes instant cognitive dissonance.

Some people think boxes of stars for comments are the greatest thing since
sliced bread. I just think of what a pain they cause for programs that want
to extract information from comments, and reformatters.

If you really want to do this, I'd say implement column editing as well so
you can insert your pretty text box with "* return * return * return ..."
Block operations are a subset of column operations. You should also be able
to have sticky columns, where inserting a line inserts it outside the
currently active editing region.

Note that VI does remember the column position, and puts you back in the
right place when you get to a longer line again.

On the display, I expect as much text as will fit... at least on a terminal.
If I can't get close to 24 by 80 I get cranky.

Things like showmatch are nice, but an implementation where it highlighted
the matching character would tend to be more useful. Perhaps make this one
of the "select" modes.
-- 
Peter da Silva.  `-_-'  peter@ferranti.com
+1 713 274 5180.  'U`  "Have you hugged your wolf today?"