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From: bldrnr@apple.UUCP (Brian Hurley)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Small is beautiful
Message-ID: <6309@apple.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Sep-87 00:00:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: apple.6309
Posted: Tue Sep 22 00:00:13 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Sep-87 01:25:48 EDT
References: <121@quick.COM>
Reply-To: bldrnr@apple.UUCP (Brian Hurley)
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, USA
Lines: 53
Keywords: Here, Here a man with some sense!

>I measure
>"small" by economy of concepts more than line or byte counts, though they
>tend to follow.  Let me give an example.  For many years (back in the dark
>ages) I used TECO as my primary text editor.  I used it day in and day out,
>and I consider myself a wizard (I wrote a multi-user, protected mode OS
>for the PDP-8 during this time!), but I *never* reached the point where I
>didn't want the TECO manual handy at all times  [...]

	Some people have no problem remebering how to use 'vi',-- THE REST OF
US would do better if we added complexity, where complexity is needed.  
Terminals, not the software, need expanding.  I use a microcomputer for my
text editing needs.  It makes an incredible terminal/editor.  Fail to see why
there is such a fuss over ergonomics in a program that must by definition
communicate with it's user by having him/her bang away at 58 switches mounted
in a confusing array.  If this was not a problem, add to that cases where 
every key has an alternate meaning, depending on the MODE of the program.
(How many times have you had to use the 'dog-terminal' in a lab?  Isn't it 
strange that the only keys that don't work are the ones you really need?
	I'm not talking about <CR> or <BS>  I'm talking about arrow-keys, 
[Y]ank, and [P]ut. Just try spitting up a paragraph sometime, or relocating a
function for 'documentation purposes'.  Character only devices have been around
for a very long time admittedly, but they are not the problem.  I do perform
most of my text work off line, but that need not be.  This article was written
using a program that is an interface with large portions of the unix
environment.  Upload's and downloads are transparent, It keeps track of 'vi's
mode for me.  I click a mouse and it positions the cursor... I could elaborate
more but you get the point.
		Yeah it is a Macintosh, and I am not ashamed of that.  There's
got to be somthing to a 'terminal-emulator' that sorts the [i]rritation out
of 'vi'.  

		Summing up I would say that simplicity in software does not
solve the problem.  It creates incomplete solutions.  What we need it complete
hardware, as well as complete software, to supliment the 'wetware'.

>	No program over 10,000 lines long can ever be made to work (correctly).
>
>I think this fundamental constant describes people, not computers, but that
>is, after all, what this business is really about.
>
>I hereby don my asbestos suit and set my autodialer to 911 ---
>
>					spencer

	Thanks, spencer for pointing out that what is needed is a simple
interface.

--/--bldrnr--> 

*******
NOTE:My veiws are my views, and do not reflect in anyway, views of my employer
(I am not an Evangelist for Macintosh... I hate what it puts an innocent 
C programmer through.)