Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!nike!oliveb!glacier!bridge2!pvf From: pvf@bridge2.UUCP (Paul V. Fries) Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16 Subject: Re: Micro C-Shell Info Request Message-ID: <209@bridge2.UUCP> Date: Wed, 20-Aug-86 12:51:59 EDT Article-I.D.: bridge2.209 Posted: Wed Aug 20 12:51:59 1986 Date-Received: Thu, 21-Aug-86 04:09:37 EDT References: <93@uwmacc.UUCP> <202@vlsvax1.UUCP> Organization: Bridge Communications, Inc., Mountain View, Ca Lines: 38 I have been using the Micro C-Shell (v2.61) for a few months now and for the most part agree with the previous comments about it. It is a good product and is worth the cost. The features closely mimic the features found on the "real" computers at work, so it is easy to get it to do what you are familiar with in more sophisticated environments. One aspect that I do not like very much is that it has does not very well handle the initiation of GEM programs. As long as you are executing TOS or TTP programs (i.e. ASCII terminal oriented), all is fine. In order to run GEM programs, you must issue the command in the form: gem The shell seems not to want to look for .PRG files when it is looking for commands and will not, on its own, perform the setup required for the GEM program to operate. It would seem that the gem command was added as an afterthought for ST use. Making the user select explicitly which programs will be run with the mouse and stuff makes it easier for the shell. Not intuitively obvious is the fact that command-line arguments are NOT supported. Not a BIG deal, but it means that I do not immediately have the ability to call my Megamax editor with the names of files to be editted. Annoying, but fairly easy to work around. To solve the problem, I wrote myself a program called "gemrun.tos". It operates seemingly identically to the gem function of the shell, but additionally passes the arguments to the system when doing the EXEC. Of course, it must be read fron the disk, so it is a bit slower (on floppies) than the standard function that it replaces. Another anomaly I have found is in the handling of the "no match" situation on wildcard file specifications. Unlike the true csh which will eliminate the pttern word that has no match, Micro C Shell is more like the Bourne Shell in that it leaves the unsubstituted pattern word in the argument list.