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From: jmg@mdbs.UUCP (John Murray Gamble)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d,comp.emacs
Subject: Re: when using termcap, get it right!
Message-ID: <319@mdbs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Jun-87 11:58:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: mdbs.319
Posted: Wed Jun 17 11:58:55 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 22-Jun-87 00:47:28 EDT
References: <1149@carthage.swatsun.UUCP> <8601@tekecs.TEK.COM> <6828@mimsy.UUCP> <1166@osiris.UUCP> <189@auvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: jmg@mdbs.UUCP (John Murray Gamble)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Micro Database Systems, Inc., Lafayette IN
Lines: 52
Xref: mnetor comp.sources.d:868 comp.emacs:1189

In article <189@auvax.UUCP> tech@auvax.UUCP (Richard Loken) writes:
>
>The problem for me is that to use function keys I have to take my hands off
>the keyboard and reach for the function keys.  Worse, I have to take my
>eyes off the screen and look at my hands.
>
>On VMS I use the TPU based LSEDIT where I have mapped the more used function
>keys to emacs like control chars.
>
>I have to conclude that Function Key editors were not invented by typists.
>
>     *********	    73
>    **********	    Richard Loken VE6BSV
>   .      ****	    
>  ..      ****	    Athabasca University
> ....     ****	    Athabasca, Alberta Canada
>..........****	    ihnp4!alberta!auvax

Actually, i conclude just the opposite.  *Editing* is different
from *typing*.  The operations involved in editing (moving or
deleting lines, words, or characters, searching/replacing)
have very little to do with actual creative typing.  When
i am typing, my fingers stay on the main keyboard for long
periods of time, and when i am editing my left hand rests
while my right hand works the keypad.  I never had to look
at my hand, anymore than i look at the keyboard for typing.

This is one of the reasons i miss EDT.  When doing actual
editing, all the keys i need to use are beneath *one* hand,
which does not need to move while i am editing.  No silly
control key to hit (an operation invented to destroy the
pinkie finger on the left hand) while simultaneously hunting
for the key to be control-ed.  Thank god EMACS-style editors
allow key rebindings, or my fingers would be useless.

For those wondering what the fuss about EDT is, a short,
incomplete description of it would be to call it the
RISC equivalent of editors.  Very few commands in screen
mode, but they are very powerful.  It is analagous to
driving a car, in that the same operations work in
forward and reverse, with the directions toggled by
a key(pad)stroke.  It was a definite change from vi and
took a lot of getting used to, but it ruined vi for me.
EMACS (any flavor) is now my editor of choice.
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