Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!orsvax1!pyrnj!caip!daemon From: poggio%sri-med@sri-tsca@caip.RUTGERS.EDU Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga Subject: Amigaterm/MicroEMACS: Best of Both Worlds? Message-ID: <1423@caip.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Mon, 3-Mar-86 17:44:13 EST Article-I.D.: caip.1423 Posted: Mon Mar 3 17:44:13 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 5-Mar-86 04:02:50 EST Sender: daemon@caip.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 35 From: Andy Poggio I have taken brief look at both Amigaterm and MicroEMACS as Fred Fish so generously distributes them (Thanks Fred!). I think that both can offer improved capabilities in complementary way. First, a brief description of how I believe their input/output works. Amigaterm seems to be smart about its input, i.e. it knows it isn't talking to just a terminal. Thus, it is able to use the mouse for menu selections. However, for output it uses a minimally functional terminal emulator that is part of the Amigaterm code. The major drawback to this is that if you are connected, for example, to a screen-oriented text editor on the other side of your phone connection, that editor cannot use the Amigaterm terminal emulator to do things like clear the screen or insert a line. MicroEMACS appears to be just the opposite. It is simplisitic about its input, i.e. it thinks it is talking to a simple terminal. The drawback to this is that it cannot use the mouse for things like menu selection or moving the cursor. However, on the output side it uses the (Commodore-provided) ANSI terminal emulation to perform screen-oriented functions. The question is: Can you combine the Amigaterm input strategy with the MicroEMACS output strategy (Keyboard and mouse input with ANSI terminal emulation output)? If so, this would provide an Amigaterm with ANSI terminal emulation and a MicroEMACS that uses the mouse for cursor positioning and menu selection. This latter capability is common on more expensive workstations like the SUN and the Symbolics LispMachine. Can anyone shed some light on this possibility? Anyone want to give it a try? --Andy