From: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!editor-p Newsgroups: fa.editor-p Title: Emacs for the VAX. Article-I.D.: ucbvax.4 Posted: Fri Mar 11 22:24:41 1983 Received: Sun Mar 13 04:45:52 1983 >From ADMIN.JQJ@SU-SCORE.ARPA Fri Mar 11 22:20:46 1983 Received: from UCBARPA.ARPA by UCBVAX.ARPA (3.322/3.14) id AA26317; 11 Mar 83 22:20:46 PST (Fri) Received: by UCBVAX.ARPA (3.322/3.14) id AA26343; 11 Mar 83 22:22:50 PST (Fri) To: INFO-VAX@SRI-CSL, EDITOR-PEOPLE@SU-SCORE In-Reply-To: The message of 6 Jan 1983 14:12:36-EST from joej at CCA-UNIX Resent-To: ;@Editor-People-redelivery VAX-NIL hackers/users at MIT and VAX users in the AI-LAB have been doing most of their editing on PDP-10's using real ITS EMACS, or on LispMachines. This is because we depend a lot on high performance and sophisticated features, and because the local area network (CHAOSNET) makes the file transfers to and from the VAX's trivial. On the VAX itself most get by with EDT using an init file to set up basic ITS EMACS keybindings rather than a more sophisticated editor. That is not to say we aren't ignoring better editors; it is just that we didn't want to expend much effort in other editors which have restricted availability and extendability. However, now I can announce an editor which will have the same distribution policy as Stallman's ITS/TOPS-20 Emacs (that is, in the public domain), which aims at being as extensible as Multics Emacs (which has a reputation for making editor programming in lisp accessible to everyone), which is coded using the most modern programming technology we have at our disposal, and finally, which uses echo-negotiation, remote-editing protocal, and other techniques, so that it will be efficient enough (using as little machine resources per user as possible) to gain acceptance in all environments. The purpose of this note: Question (1): What sites could use such an editor, given a release date of July 1983? Question (2): What sites could use such an editor without much efficiency "bumming?" Also, one that will be doing single character I/O and process-level echoing? (Same situation as the editors developed under Unix). Question (3): What interested hackers may be available? We have something running now which is usable for editing source files on our VAX here, so the answers to the questions will greatly influence design decisions and plans relating to distribution and general usability. -GJC