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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!utah-cs!utah-gr!thomas
From: thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas)
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: re: tops-20 command "language"
Message-ID: <894@utah-gr.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Aug-83 03:50:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: utah-gr.894
Posted: Wed Aug 24 03:50:49 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Aug-83 12:42:30 EDT
References: shark.1447
Lines: 21

We're running a shell with filename completion, and it handles 90% of
the times I want completion.  Requires NO kernel mods (as suggested by
somebody), sets the alternate break character to ESC and uses ^D for ?. 
As a side effect, it cleans up your terminal mode whenever you return to
the shell.  I love it.  (Another nice side effect - you can get a quick
"ls" by typing <space><ctrl-D> (the space is there because a bare ^D
either logs you out or gets the "type logout to log out" message).)

I have occasionally wished for command recognition, though.  Mostly for
the long aliases we tend to use (try typing show_defaults right every
time).

BTW, one of the worst things about the TOPS-20 filename completion is
that each component must be *uniquely* identified by what you have typed
so far.  Thus, if you have two files, names "ta-ra-asgn-f83.txt" and
"ta-ra-asgn-s83.txt", you must type "ta-ra-asgn-f<esc>" to get the
first.  Our shell would complete up to "ta-ra-asgn-", and beep.  So much
nicer.  What good is completion if it only does two chars for you? 
Also, if you type ? on TOPS-20, it tells you "filespec".  Really useful.

=Spencer