Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!menudo.uh.edu!nuchat!kevin
From: kevin@nuchat.sccsi.com (Kevin Brown)
Subject: Re: Vi and alarm.
Message-ID: <1991Mar21.045548.17453@nuchat.sccsi.com>
Keywords: Vi alarm
Organization: Teenage Mutant Ninja NiceGuys(tm)
References: <2996@redstar.cs.qmw.ac.uk> <2019@pdxgate.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 91 04:55:48 GMT

In article <2019@pdxgate.UUCP> berggren@eecs.cs.pdx.edu (Eric Berggren) writes:
>zawada@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Simpson) writes:
>
>>Does it gets hate me, or is there really something in it?
>
>>I've installed minix 1.5 so far on 3 DIFFERENT types of machine
>>which seem to like minix, two unknown clones, (386 and 286) and
>>an RM 386. Each one has accepted the kernel okay, and has run
>>all the tests O.K.
>
>>But....
>
>>Whenever I run elvis or vi, after a while, I get the message
>
>>Alarm clock......
>
>>Vi aborts, and mucks up the tty!
>
>>From what I can deduce vi is receiving an alarm clock signal
>>from somewhere, I'll be damned if I know where!
>
>>As this doesn't seem to be the machines I'm using, other
>>hardened vi users must be having the same problem.
>
>  It hates me too. I have received the message a couple of times,
>but I am not certain why. If you get any e-mail regarding it, please
>forward it to me, else I look for it on the net. Thanx.

When I was running Minix-88 ("wimpy Minix" :-), I was able to consistently 
recreate this behavior by hitting <esc> when I was in movement mode (as 
opposed to insert mode, which is where you're SUPPOSED to hit <esc>).

That made me suspect that the call to disable the alarm clock signal
failed for some reason.  Beats me.  Since I've been running Minix-386,
I haven't had this problem (though I had other problems with it, but
not since I upgraded to Elvis 1.4).

In addition to the above problem, it looks like elvis and virecover were
compiled using two different versions of _doprnt() (i.e., the central
library call for printf() and it's ilk).  Needless to say, that particular
problem is quite annoying, as virecover won't properly recover your
editing session once the alarm clock bug has hit you.

Recompiling elvis (1.3) may make the problem you mention go away, but I
never bothered to try (I was a LOT more careful about when I hit <esc>,
though) since I knew I'd be upgrading to Minix-386 anyway, and would work
on the problem then if it surfaced (it didn't).

Hope this helps...

>  Eric Berggren             |  "The force of the 'Dark Side' eminates from 
>  Computer Science/Eng.     |    the ominous DeathStar looming overhead." 
>  berggren@eecs.cs.pdx.edu  |            - Down with AT&T! -


--
Kevin Brown						Disclaimer: huh?
nuchat!kevin@uunet.uu.net				csci31f7@cl.uh.edu 

Minix -- the Unix[tm] of the 90's.  System V -- the Multics of the 90's.  :-)