Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!cs.widener.edu!brendan
From: brendan@cs.widener.edu (Brendan Kehoe)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: You could have anything in vi; now...
Message-ID: <#QL#6B@cs.widener.edu>
Date: 25 Mar 91 00:11:33 GMT
Organization: Widener CS Dept
Lines: 63


 Whelp, the flood's started to slow down a bit (a total of 123
messages since I posted my original message 5 days ago). I can start
addressing some of the stuff people've suggested (around 240 of them).
 (At this rate, I need someone to give me a grant so I can dedicate
all of my "other" time to this and forget mundane things like rent.)

 First, yup, I am aware of both stevie and elvis. I am using them as
models for the logic for areas that I'm not able to come up with
myself (or it would take weeks to get it working properly). And it
will (hopefully) be compilable on Unix, PC's, and probably VMS.
(Anybody wanna port it elsewhere?)
 I'm also checking out TCL for the extension language for it (over 30
requests for something like this). Boy o boy, just what I need,
another language. <grin> I considered Perl, but figured I'd leave that
as a "possibility" for the future. Any arguments in its favor (backed
up with facts) are very welcome.

 Oh, the overwhelming winner of any suggestion was to have ~ be a real
operator .. over 60 people asked for that. (I know, I can sell all of
this to some major vendor as a contract study of users' needs. Yeah
yeah that's the ticket....)

 One question has led to a few others .. your help in this is
indispensable.

	- is having delete climb up onto the end of the previous line
	  if you're at the end of the current one a desirable feature?
	- should there be a constant status line? or a more elaborate
	  result of doing ^G ? how 'bout how each window should be
	  identified when there's more than one? Is a static status
	  line necessary then?
	- any ideas on an "extended mark" system? e.g. still retain
	  support for m[0-127], but have another set of marks, to
	  perhaps bridge across files, or whatever
	- what's a comfortable default for the C comment column?
	- any "undocumented" features in versions of vi that you've
	  used? (e.g. the '_' operator [d_ == dd])
	- since I'm a real nroff novice, what things would you want in
	  nroff mode? (I also plan to dig thru the Emacs lisp source
	  for its nroff major mode.)
	- should the command-line history be editable in a buffer? or
	  just on the command line?
	- any rugged tests out there for things being 8-bit clean?
	- what features should be present in a query & replace system?
	- what are your feelings on what should be mandatory in a
	  "secure" mode? (e.g. no shell escapes, etc)
	- should you be able to edit a macro in a buffer?
	- any suggestions on how to optimize updating the screen?
	- what would you have as the 'repeat' character for the last
	  command? (e.g. doing :; would re-do the last command)
	- anybody care to describe the added things needed to support
	  C++ tags? (I don't know the language yet.)
	- suggestions on implementing file recovery (including the
	  ability to save multiple buffers)?

 Thanks again!

Brendan
-- 
     Brendan Kehoe - Widener Sun Network Manager - brendan@cs.widener.edu
  Widener University in Chester, PA                A Bloody Sun-Dec War Zone
 Now that we know he has ID, we could give him an account. finger bush@cs....