Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!nsc!voder!cullsj!jeff
From: jeff@cullsj.UUCP (Jeffrey C. Fried)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: mega-flame on GNU & Unipress
Message-ID: <293@cullsj.UUCP>
Date: 30 Apr 88 17:32:25 GMT
References: <8804300706.AA08462@EDDIE.MIT.EDU>
   I understand your questions, but i don't feel they're in any way warrented.
Organization: Cullinet Software, San Jose, CA
Lines: 25
Summary: Having used Unipress and GNU, i prefer GNU.  I've never missed the
     things you mentioned, and, i find the support for GNU better than UNIPRESS.

exhorbitant, and the features you mentioned really amount to no more than
decoration on an extremely viable product.  
   I'm glad that you wish to enhance it, to the benefit of all of us,
but consider this: does UNIPRESS provide you with the tools you need to
enhance it; would they do any of these enhancements? My experience with
them is that the answer is absolutely NOT.  I asked them for information
on how they worked with DECNET to make it possible to use GNU over the
net when coming from an ULTRIX machine to VMS - one loses many control
characters.  They would not provide it.  Up theres!  I have better things
to do with my life than wait for them to decide that my request will make
them more money.  Enhancing GNU myself is worth it to me because i can "take
it with me" (as well as pass it on) so to speak.
   When it comes to improvements, i have a completely different list than
yours: Change e-lisp to byte-code compiled to reduce size and improve speed,
add a portable virtual engine so that it could run on IBM-PC's, improve the
terminal support so that less screen re-painting is done, add the ability
to easily rebind the help key (i want it to use a PF key), and i have more.
I mention these not to lay claim to a better list, but rather to show you
that it is possible that others could have a different agenda.  As time
permits, i will work on these problems, but i certainly don't expect others
to share my agenda - its great when they do, but there is no inherent reason
why they should.
   In summary - when compared with UNIPRESS i see no problems with GNU and
it is because of people like you who enhance it.  Thanks, but please don't
waste your time knocking it.