Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!attctc!jolnet!swan From: swan@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US (Joel Swan) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: CEDPro Review please Keywords: CEDPro 2 ASDG CygnusEd Message-ID: <2575@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US> Date: 28 Dec 89 07:10:14 GMT References: <997@madnix.UUCP> <657@bmers58.UUCP> <1001@madnix.UUCP> <27914.25942f69@drunivac.uucp> <2448@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> Reply-To: swan@jolnet.UUCP (Joel Swan) Organization: Media Specialties Ltd. Lines: 132 A few thoughts on the CED release 2. This is NOT a thorough examination of CED2, but some kudos and critisisms that I have been addressing since release 1. For the most part, I like the CEDPro release 2. For those that are unaware, CEDPro 2 is an update to CygnusEd Professional, a fast and powerful text processor. It is very fast in the turbo search/replace mode. Dizzingly so. Almost all of the user interface is identical to the first release. I like this, because almost everything can be controlled EASILY from the keyboard. I don't mean just Amiga-key equivalents to the menu commands. I mean the response to the requesters can all be controled by either the mouse OR an easy response from the keyboard (usually "y" for "OK" or "n" for "CANCEL"). No need to constantly reach for the dern mouse (this is a TEXT processor, right?) The AREXX suport is very well done, as is the powerful macro support. The UNDO is very nice, but not quite a journal, yet. However, I must still complain LOUDLY over one glaring problem and one minor problem that are STILL being overlooked by "usually good developers" like ASDG. 1. Lack of official CLIPBOARD support. This alone will keep me from recommending its purchase to anyone I know. Sorry ASDG (and Perry), this is inexcusable. Programs like SNAP and CBM's Bridgboard window, to name just a few, work like champs when paired up with TxEd Plus. THEY support the clipboard. Remember that idea? It really IS nice. Not the private paste buffer you use. Very discouraging. I can think of no other way to make developers pay attention and include these highly desireable features than to affect their sales. No clipboard, no purchase. This is a multitasking machine. I use multiple products that demand information be easily shared. AREXX is a nice start for sharing control, but let's not bypass one of the simple ways of melding the environment together; sharing DATA easily. It feels as though they stood on the mountain top and reached out for AREXX while the clipboard went unheeded in the valley below. (#2 is not so much a flame, but I am bewildered as to why this problem still persists.) 2. While claiming that the new file requester is better than the old one (and in most respects it is :-), they also made it slower and more cumbersome to use in a certain way. In the first release, there was a limited number of buttons that one used to pick the input or output device (logical or physical). The biggest problems were 1) that the 16 buttons limited ones choice of devices and 2) it also presented you with less used device names like NULL:, LIBS:, SPEAK:, etc. Meanwhile, it 3) left out important logical devices like DOC: or MAN:. The new requester has an extra window (similar to the file listing window) that contains most of your systems devices. You can scroll through this list and find the deives (physical or logical) you want. Fine for a small list, torture if you have a large list. Well, the new requester takes care of problem 1 and 3, but only added to the confusion of 2. For instance, I have the following names show up in the CED file requester: A: L: ANIMBRSH: LIBS: ANM: LO-RS: B: MAN: BOOT: MED-RS: BOT: MODULES: BRSH: MUSIC-X: C: NEWC: DISKINDF0: NEWCON: CLIPS: NULL: DELUXEPAINTIII: PENPAL: DEVS: PLTDATA: DF0: PRINT: DF1: PROMIDI: DH0: PROMISE: DH2: PROSOUND: DICT: PROTOCOLS: DOCS: RAM: EDITOR: RAM: ENV: REXX: EXCELLENCE!: S: EXP: SF1: FF1: SF2: FFF: SHANGHAI: FONTS: SYS: HD1: T: HD2: TEMP: HD3: TODAY: HELP: V3D: HI-RES: WP: HPFONTS: YBS: INTERLAC: and in the near future I'll have about 10 more as I work to get UUCP set up. (I don't know why RAM: is listed twice.) With the old CED, one fast click on a gadget would find your device or disk. Can you imagine the new the process in trying to find TEMP: or HD1: in such mass of garble? A pain. It would be grand if the commercial developers would look at some of the shareware and PD file utilities that exist. They would notice that the config file often contains a list of devices the user wants to see on a regular basis, leaving the never used devices out of the way (like L:, LIBS:, PROSOUND:, etc.) For instance, I would like to see only these devices: A: HD2: B: HD3: DF0: RAM: DF1: REXX: DOCS: S: FF1: TEMP: HD1: VD0: ...much more efficient. When I'm in a hurry, I fly through things like file requesters, and anything that feels unatural and slow acts like a brick wall. (Should I bring up the wretched DPAINTIII file requester -- gag! Still a piece of crap.) No. 2 is presented for ASDG's (and anyone else's) consideration. Please make program's UI's as efficient as possible. (ASDG usually gets pretty high marks in this regard) No. 1 is a genuine FLAME. There is NO excuse for lack of Clipboard support. If the shareware and PD authors use it, then the "professionals" have NO excuse. It IS wanted and needed often in my setup, although lack of suport is often frustrating. What do you think? (especially in regards to the clipboard) Joel Swan