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From: julian@riacs.ARPA (Julian E. Gomez)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: VI features, Editors, etc...
Message-ID: <341@hydra.riacs.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 17-Oct-86 14:39:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: hydra.341
Posted: Fri Oct 17 14:39:27 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Oct-86 23:42:37 EDT
References: <8610022020.AA28814@cory.Berkeley.EDU> <7107@boring.mcvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: julian@hydra.UUCP (Julian E. Gomez)
Organization: RIACS, Moffett Field, CA
Lines: 30

Guido van Rossum writes:
> Oh yeah?  Wait till mouse-based editors have been around as long and
> hacked as much as VI...  Are we just discussing the merits of existing
> editors or also the potential of different paradigms?  Why would it be
> impossible to add complete mouse support and standard cut/paste to an
> Emacs-like editor?

It's not. Here at RIACS we use mouse-driven EMACS.


Matt Dillon writes:
> Mouse-based 'user friendly' editors are all an well, but completely useless
> once you get experienced.  ...

Xerox PARC demonstrates the contrary.


A lot of people are judging mouse based operation by the Mac, Amiga,
and Atari.  The problem with such conclusions is that it assumes they
are doing it optimally, which is far from the case. You would do better
to study PARC experience with mice and user interfaces before drawing
general conclusions.  Perhaps someday personal computers will catch up,
but right now they are a long way behind.  The only things judgements
about personal computer mouse driven editors are good for now is about
particular products, not that style of user interface.
-- 
"Good Golly Miss Molly"

	Julian "a tribble took it" Gomez
	{...decvax!decwrl!}julian@icarus.riacs.edu