I was just catching up on your Letters columns, and read the letter from Dave on July 22. He bemoans the cost of computer equipment today, and states that in the early 80s one could buy a computer for $100.
My experience was totally different. My first computer was a Commodore 64, purchased about 1984. My total investment was about $1500, and for that I got: a 64K memory machine, of which 39K was usable RAM; a single 360K floppy drive; and a 13 inch b&w monitor. Compare that with what you can buy today for $1500, and if you want to use constant-purchasing dollars, compare it with a $4000 machine today. I believe Dave is way off base in his complaint.
In this article, Williams compares the unix "vi" editor as equivalent to "edlin". As a UNIX developer and "vi" guru, I cannot let this pass unchallenged.
"edlin" is a brain-damaged line editor, with few real features. "vi" is a full featured developers text editor; its features include regular expression search and replace (very powerful), last-command repeat, a very good macro facility, multi-buffer editing, multiple cut-and-paste buffers (which can also be used for command strings), etc., etc.
I have used "vi" for nearly sixteen years to develop programs in C, C++, "awk", "perl", FORTRAN-77, COBOL (yech), BASIC, Bourne-, C-, and Korn-shells. **As a developers editor**, it is at least as good as EMACS. In using EMACS, I found no function that I really wanted that could not have been done in "vi", sometimes easier. I found the EMACS command interface to be cumbersome and unhelpful, though I imagine that getting an appropriate set of macros pre-loaded would make it better. "vi"'s interface, while cryptic for the newbie, becomes very easy as the appropriate associations are made: "i" means "insert", "a" means "append", "s" means "substitute", "r" means "replace", etc.
Anyone who says that "edlin" is equivalent to "vi" has never used one of them. Please, don't make such comparisons unless you know what you're talking about. EMACS is a terrific environment, and I wouldn't dream of putting it down; but "vi" is **not** "edlin"!
Thanks for the screen shots. But Merlin is UGLY, UGLY, UGLY!!!! I hope that the folks at Big Blue will give us the option to install version 3 niceties like the spiral notebook. (And I like the launchpad.) Anyway, please pass the message on: Not everybody wants to have his computer look like Windows '95.
It is a sad state of affiars when the only software to evaluate and pontificate are utilities. It would really be nice to see wordprocs, spreadsh.., etc...
In Jon's August article [on InJoy and his automated web serer] he mentions that the extra activity keeps the connection from being dropped - or something to that effect. Might I suggest John setting up a ping utility to ping his ISP every 5 minutes or so. InJoy can start the program upon connection, and away you go.
I enjoyed your editorial on the problems with the thinking of most OS/2 users. I've been using OS/2 since Warp came out, and was introduced to it by a good friend who answered all my questions about it, without ranting against Windows but pointing out how OS/2 was better. I think fanatics of anything do more harm than good. I have to use Windows at work and that's the way life goes, but through diligent work and logical proposals I'm starting to get the powers that be at work to consider developing an OS/2 version of our product. It's a contact manager. Something OS/2 is in dire need of a good one.
I just wanted to comment you on your article. Constructive criticism should always be listened to and some OS/2 users could learn by this
I worked for CLI for 2 years in their Stillwater, OK Tech. Supt. facility. I just thought I'd make a comment about your rave. From a TS standpoint, Creative's OS/2 support is really the result of 2 people's efforts, both of which have moved on, and one of which convinced me to try OS/2 2.1 in 1993. Unfortunately, IBM's decision to not push Merlin as a consumer OS is likely to kill Creative's support, as they see themselves as a consumer oriented company. I still have friends that work in the OS/2-NT support area, and they were genuinely supprised at the recent release of OS/2 driver updates, as they had been told that all OS/2 development had been killed.
I read the article on Aquanaut! (game) in the latest OS/2 e-Zine.. I'd just like to let ya know that the 'classic' game Aquanaut resembles is Defender or Stargate (stargate is the sequal to defender).
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