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From: eachus@mbunix.mitre.org (Robert Eachus)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Switching to NewShell ..
Summary: You don't have to throw away ConMan
Keywords: ConMan Shell
Message-ID: <46187@linus.UUCP>
Date: 9 Mar 89 23:56:49 GMT
References: <8903090702.AA22197@postgres.Berkeley.EDU>
Sender: news@linus.UUCP
Reply-To: eachus@mbunix (Robert I. Eachus)
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, Mass.
Lines: 77

In article <8903090702.AA22197@postgres.Berkeley.EDU> dillon@POSTGRES.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) writes:

>	Well, I have taken the plunge and decided to switch from using my
>shell to using NewShell + NewCon.  My old configuration was my shell + ConMan.

     Within a week of getting WB 1.3 I discovered that it is
relatively easy to use ConMan in place of NewCon: with the CA Shell,
and I have been doing it ever since. You just have to invoke it with
"CON:0/0/..." either on the command line or in the Shell.info (or in
DMouse). Since alias and Startup-Sequence can be used to do this
automatically, I did it once then forgot about it.  The DMouse command
line is probably the trickiest.  I currently use:

DMouse -C NewShell "<nil: >nil: CON:0/0/660/180/RIEachus S:PopShell"
{Your name and sizes may vary, but I actually use two calls to DMouse
 in my startup, since placement on this one seems critical.  Must be
 last, but strange things happen if you go beyond about the 150th position.}

>	NOTE: it appears you cannot use the PATH: device with NewShell..
>causes commands to Guru.  No big loss...

     I think that's with NewCon: at least if we are talking about the
same PATH: device.

>    My main reasons for switching are:

>	* lightning quick startup

    You can say that again with NewShell, Path, and Run in RAD:C,
DMouse takes less than a second to pop-up a shell window (and another
2+ seconds to execute two scripts, one 7-lines the other a 26-line
S:Shell-Startup).  C: and S: are assigned to RAD: of course. (It seems
silly that the governing factor for the assign of C: is where you want
Run.  I have 6 commands in RAD:C, but that is where the assign goes.
Two of the commands there are assign and path for when I foul up...
:-)

>	* script files are almost indistinguishable from executables, and
>	  with run and execute resident, start up at the speed of sound.

     Agreed! Except that I only have one Run in RAM (in RAD:).

>	* aliases, script files, and newcon history integrate together well.

>	* lower memory usage, even when I make lots of things resident.  And
>	  I can choose whether to use Rez or Resident depending on various
>	  factors (for instance, I have to use Rez to make DME, CC, AS, LN,
>	  etc... resident).

     I haven't found anything other than L:Shell-Seg and Execute that
need Resident, and I haven't checked whether it's just one of them.

>    Disadvantages so far:

>	* no automatic file name expansion

     This is the only one I miss...

>	* some AmigaDOS commands are slightly convoluted (copy, list, dir)
>	  but I can always write my own replacements..

     Copy is fixable by alias, I only use the CA version of dir when I
have a gun to my head :-)
. 
>	* stupid line parser (e.g. trailing spaces are not ignored)

>	* no high level constructs in interactive mode (outside a script file)

>	* variable handling .. what variable handling!

>    All in all, good job C-A!

>					-Matt

     And good job Matt, on the things you've done.

					Robert I. Eachus