Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!fernwood!uupsi!sunic!isgate!krafla!einari From: einari@rhi.hi.is (Einar Indridason) Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d Subject: Re: Why Freemacs uses the 8th bit. Message-ID: <3287@krafla.rhi.hi.is> Date: 21 Jun 91 12:33:51 GMT References: <3245@krafla.rhi.hi.is> <1991Jun15.124052.17827@cbfsb.att.com> <3257@krafla.rhi.hi.is> <3271@krafla.rhi.hi.is> Reply-To: einari@rhi.hi.is (Einar Indridason) Organization: University of Iceland (RHI) Lines: 40 In article nelson@clutx.clarkson.edu (aka NELSON@CLUTX.BITNET) writes: >In article <3271@krafla.rhi.hi.is> einari@rhi.hi.is (Einar Indridason) writes: > > Why is your program simpler if you use the 8th bit for yourself? (for > internal purposes?) instead of just leaving it alone? > >Freemacs needs meta characters, that fall outside the charater set. >It needs these in two places -- in the neutral string (to delimit >pending functions and arguments), and in functions (to indicate >argument place-holders). Some time ago, I rewrote the neutral string code >so that all 8 bits are usable. The code is faster but more complicated. Humm, meta characters? Can you use 16bit characters in freemacs? (then you could use the upper 9-16 bits as some sort of a meta bit?) No. Then the maximum size of text to edit is then limited to 32K (Right?) But what about useing some character below 0x20 as a 'lead-in' character (some kind of an escape?) and if that character is to appear, then it could be protected by duplicating that character? >But I'll need help from you 8th-bitters, because I don't have any real >use for the 8th bit. Should I put you on the Freemacs announcement >mailing list? Here's the Freemacs "howtoget.it" blurb: That is ok by me. (If you do, please use einari@hugbun.is instead of the more normal einari@rhi.hi.is. For other mail, (for now), use einari@rhi.hi.is) May I bring up a suggestion? How about getting the device-driver that frisk has uploaded to SIMTEL and use that to test freemacs? I can suply you with a sentence that gives you all icelandic characters? Thank you for taking so kindly to my rash posting :-) -- Internet: einari@rhi.hi.is | "Just give me my command line and drag UUCP: ..!mcsun!isgate!rhi!einari | the GUIs to the waste basket!!!!" Surgeon Generals warning: Masking the 8th bit can seriously damage your brain!!