Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!mcgill-vision!mouse
From: mouse@mcgill-vision.UUCP (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Character echoing (was AT&T Joining OSF)
Message-ID: <1282@mcgill-vision.UUCP>
Date: 2 Sep 88 05:19:29 GMT
References: <347@spies.UUCP> <670025@hpclscu.HP.COM> <24355@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <12016@steinmetz.ge.com>
Organization: McGill University, Montreal
Lines: 28

In article <12016@steinmetz.ge.com>, davidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr) writes:
> one of the few things I like about DOS and VMS is that the characters
> are echoed as they are read, not as they are typed.  This prevents
> display of info designed to be read "no echo."

It also prevents display of other typeahead.  Which sort do you type
more of?

I had to get used to echo-ahead when we changed over from VMS to UNIX.
I've used it both ways and I prefer the UNIX way.  The occasional
no-echo read isn't worth losing the ability to read (and therefore
edit) what's been typed ahead.

> Fortunately there seems to be no reason why this can't be done in a
> device driver, even if it's not (I would like to think it is and I
> haven't found it).

*This* is the *real* difference between UNIX and the rest of the crowd.
Just try to change the echo behavior on DOS or VMS!

Curious that this isn't a bit somewhere in the so-called "new" line
discipline on Berkeley; everything else is, seems like.  Should be
straightforward to add; perhaps I'll do it someday, if you don't.

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu