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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.unix,net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: DMD Software for 4.2 BSD / DMD software available from toolchest
Message-ID: <2167@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 12-Jul-86 13:25:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.2167
Posted: Sat Jul 12 13:25:05 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jul-86 22:42:22 EDT
References: <1668@emory.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Distribution: net
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 32
Xref: utcs net.unix:8564 net.unix-wizards:18136

In article <1668@emory.UUCP> arnold@emory.UUCP (Arnold D. Robbins {EUCC}) writes:
>   (Yes, I know about the availability of the DMD stuff from BRL. Their stuff
>   runs in user mode, while what I am describing is based on the XT device
>   driver. ...)

This is true at present; we use ptys and select() in a fairly nice version
of "mpx" originally obtained from CWI.  Doug Kingston (soon to return to
BRL from sabbatical at CWI) recently posted an implementation of "xt" and
corresponding "mpx" ("layers") program that we are likely to install soon.
The "xt" approach is certainly more efficient although uglier.  Of course,
8th Edition's "mux" is the way to go; does anybody know whether this will
be available now that UNIX System V has streams?

Another drawback to the BRL DMD software is that it is currently based on
Release 1.2 (with the usual slew of local bug fixes); we expect Release
2.0 "any day now".

One advantage (in my opinion) is that our host programming environment for
the DMD is based on the BRL UNIX System V environment rather than on the
native C implementation.  (Of course, once developed, applications may be
used from either environment.)  Whether you consider this a plus or a minus
is partly a matter of taste, but if you're developing code for export it
may be significant.

>   It has a new layers program, called "myx", that allows a number of things,
>   including running myx inside a window, and the ability to change the current
>   character font w/in a window.

I'm not 100% sure, but from the description it may be that this requires
the newer (Rel 2.0) terminal firmware "8;7;5" rather than the older "8;7;3"
firmware that some DMD sites may have.  I recommend upgrading to the newer
firmware anyway (it doesn't cost much), so this is no big deal.