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From: scs@iti.org (Steve Simmons)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: A new idea (?)
Message-ID: <4769@itivax.iti.org>
Date: 10 Jan 90 14:48:04 GMT
References: <1558@aber-cs.UUCP> <129799@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <PCG.90Jan3180137@thor.cs.aber.ac.uk> <19618@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
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tbray@watsol.waterloo.edu (Tim Bray) writes:

>In article <PCG.90Jan3180137@thor.cs.aber.ac.uk> pcg@thor.cs.aber.ac.uk 
>(Piercarlo Grandi) paints a vision of the editor of the future, with only
>a moderate amount of handwaving. . . .

>As texts grow larger and are treated more as
>database contents & less as typewriter-output, the concept of a 'line'
>becomes less and less useful until it is a dangerous hindrance [Cf. Bray,
>`Lessons of the New OED Project', Proc. Winter '89 Usenix].  Anyhow,
>don't build any assumptions about occurrences of the '\n' character into 
>your software.

>Cheers,
>Tim Bray, New OED Project  -and-  Open Text Systems, Inc.

In the Q&A at that session I recall your being asked about the status
of the tools developed for the new OED -- editors, indexers, etc.  "With
only a moderate amount of handwaving" (grin) you said they would probably
become commercially available at some point in the future.  Two questions:

Would you please post some data here about those tools?  (seems like a
relevant post for this group), and

Is the future here yet?