Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site calmasd.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcc3!sdcc6!calmasd!dko From: dko@calmasd.UUCP (Dan O'Neill) Newsgroups: net.emacs Subject: RFC: EMACS vs TPU Message-ID: <661@calmasd.UUCP> Date: Thu, 6-Feb-86 20:17:11 EST Article-I.D.: calmasd.661 Posted: Thu Feb 6 20:17:11 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 8-Feb-86 05:20:49 EST Reply-To: dko@calmasd.UUCP (Dan O'Neill) Distribution: na Organization: Calma Company, San Diego, CA Lines: 65 I am looking for comparative comments on the advantages and disadvantages of Unipress EMACS over Digital Equipment Corporations new VAX TPU editor. I've been a confirmed EMACS fan for at least 7 years and am in the process of presenting a proposal for EMACS to my management. The alternative editor is TPU, Text Processing Unit, which has already been purchased from DEC. I have been using TPU for the past three days and am not happy with it at all. Just try to bind the forward-word function (you have to write this yourself) to -F in a TPU command file. I would appreciate comments in the following areas: - System performance impacts. - Extensibility. TPU offers extensibility in a procedural form whereas EMACS uses MLISP constructs. - Cost and maintenance fees in relation to a 10 machine VAX cluster. - User interface. The initial learning stages of EMACS can be more difficult than for TPU as EMACS is slightly more cryptic, but with this complexity are some very powerful editing features. - Language sensitivity. DEC provides a Language Sensitive Editing (LSE) interface to TPU, I have no experience with it. What, if anything, does LSE offer to FORTRAN and C programmers that libraries such as Electric-C do not? - Compilation/debugging facilities. - Hardware independance. Does EMACS run on Apollo work stations? and can it be configured to run on WYSE terminals with limited cursor control and screen editing functions? - Online help features. TPU has a VMS style help command available, but I have been unable to list key definitions (bindings) for specific commands. If you can think of any other areas that would be of importance, in relation to software development, please include them. Send responses directly, our local news feed has been quite irregular lately. Dan O'Neill UUCP: ...!sdcsvax!calmasd!dko GE Calma Co. R&D ARPA: "calmasd!dko"@UCSD.ARPA 9805 Scranton Rd San Diego, CA 92121-1765 (619) 587-3112 -- Dan O'Neill ARPA: dko%vx09.decnet@GE-CRD.ARPA GE Calma Co. R&D "calmasd!dko"@UCSD.ARPA 9805 Scranton Rd. UUCP: ...!sdcsvax!calmasd!dko San Diego, CA 92121-1765 GE: CADVAX::VX09::DKO (619) 587-3112 "When this you see, remember me." - Fauntleroy