Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!ut-sally!husc6!think!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpcvlo!bill
From: bill@hpcvlo.HP.COM (Bill Frolik)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: EMACS for the PC
Message-ID: <1610019@hpcvlo.HP.COM>
Date: Tue, 14-Jul-87 12:55:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: hpcvlo.1610019
Posted: Tue Jul 14 12:55:51 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Jul-87 06:23:49 EDT
References: <58200008@hplabsb.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
Lines: 35


>I don't recognize it, but it sounds pretty evil.  Anything that puts function
>key labels on the bottom of the screen should be blown up.  I reflexively
>type "key off" whenever i go into basic....

Now, now.  Function keys aren't all THAT bad, and this emacs isn't evil.
I've got source for one version of the emacs-in-question; it originated, 
I believe, at HP-POD (the division in Sunnyvale that makes the 150 and 
Vectra), and now exists in two or three forms within HP.  

For the last couple of years, several of us here in Corvallis have been using
this emacs as our "production" editor; a lot of other people here use
it because my version also runs on the Portable PLUS and can be put into a
single EPROM (for ROMdisk).  My version comes up WITHOUT softkey labels as the
default; pressing F10 (MENU on the P+) toggles them on and off.  You'd be
surprised at the number of users who, first thing, turn them ON -- they'd
rather hunt through trees of softkey labels instead of learn corresponding
keystroke commands.  Personally, I don't use function keys, but you'll find
more people using your software if you provide them to those who want them.

>Anyway.. if you want an emacs for the pc (which is certainly a good thing to
>have), the clear best is Epsilon, put out by Lugaru here in Pittsburgh.  If
>you want one for free, MicroEmacs isn't bad.  And Avoid MINCE at all costs.

Epsilon is great, but it costs $$.  Brief (from Underware) is also good, but
isn't an Emacs (although you can probably configure it to look like one).
Mince isn't all that bad, either, but I wouldn't buy a copy when you can
get (in my opinion) equally good stuff for free.  Unipress EMACS is very
complete, but a dinosaur.  There are lots of good flavors of MicroEmacs
floating around for free.

Bill Frolik
hp-pcd!bill
Hewlett-Packard Portable Computer Division
Corvallis, Oregon  97330