Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!hao!gatech!purdue!i.cc.purdue.edu!j.cc.purdue.edu!pur-ee!iuvax!bsu-cs!cfchiesa
From: cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP (Christopher F. Chiesa)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: (none)
Message-ID: <1811@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Date: 9 Jan 88 00:19:00 GMT
References: <8801081018.AA07303@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, Indiana
Lines: 50
Summary: GIGI and its quirks

In article <8801081018.AA07303@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, JWMANLY@amherst ("John W. Manly") writes:
> Hi, everyone:
> 
> We have just upgraded our VAX 11/780 to VMS V4.6 and have suddenly discovered
> that our GIGI terminals do not work anymore.  In particular, EDT seems to
> get completely confused about its scrolling regions if one is advancing or
> moving around on the screen with the arrow keys.  Has anyone else experienced
> similar problems with their Gigis?  (/DEVICE=VK100)
> 
> BITNET:   JWMANLY@AMHERST        - John W. Manly
> PHONE:    (413)542-2526            System Manager
>                                    Amherst College

Holy mackerel, YES!!!!   GIGI's are sorta "pseudo-VT100's" in most respects
(actually, a SET TERM/INQUIRE followed by a SHOW TERM reveals "VK100", whatever
THAT's supposed to be... duh, does VK100 *mean* GIGI?  Why doesn't it just
say GIGI then?)  Anyway, GIGIs will thus work fine in about 85% of cases, 
until you run an application such as EDT that requires scrolling regions,
something the GIGI terminal *DOES NOT* have!

Add to that the fact that my GIGI use is usually via 1200-baud dialup, and
you know why I completely sympathize with you!  Fortunately, there are fixes
for this sort of thing.  In the particular case of EDT Keypad Mode, there are
TWO fixes!

  1) Go into GIGI setup and switch its emulation from ANSI mode to VT52 mode,
     before logging in (OR, perform the switch and then issue the SET TERM/INQ
     command to inform VMS of the change).  EDT will pick up the term-type
     from VMS, as will any other software to which terminal-type is signifi-
     cant.  I don't like to do this because the VT52 doesn't handle as many
     built-in commands as the VT100, forcing software that DOESN'T use scrol-
     ling regions, but thinks it's talking to a VT52, to do a lot of unneces-
     sary screen-rewriting.  (At 1200 baud, forget it.)

  2) When you enter EDT, issue the Line Mode command (either at the * prompt
     or via GOLD KP7) "SET TERM NOSCROL".  That tells EDT (and ONLY EDT) to
     NOT assume the existence of scrolling regions.  Case closed, problem 
     solved, and something you can live with.  (I even have my LOGIN.COM de-
     tect my terminal type, and install one or another EDT initialization 
     files depending on what type of terminal I'm using; the GIGI one, of 
     course, includes a SET TERM NOSCROL command, so that I don't even have
     to think about it.)

That should take care of it; if you come up with any other solutions, let me
know!  

   Chris Chiesa
   Senior, CS Dept.  / Computing Services Help Desk Intern
   Ball State University
   Muncie, IN