Stephen Isard wrote:
> I've run across a problem using plain ved in an xterm window under
> RedHat Linux 6.0. With luck, either someone with a later RedHat release
> can say that the problem doesn't exist anymore, or it is fixed by some
> current Birmingham file that I haven't downloaded yet. Otherwise I think
> it might be a stumbling block for new users, or worse yet an example of
> a class of stumbling blocks. ..... etc ...details.
> The xterm man page doesn't actually
> explain what is old and what is new, but the name of the resource looked
> suspicious, so I tried it and it worked. Presumably, it will mess up
> some other program that uses the function keys inside an xterm window
> though. .... etc .....
Yes my RedHat6.2 setup is also empirically patched to work.
It's the explosive number of combinations of linux plus X plus poplog
which is a potential problem.
> Now none of this is difficult to fix, once it has been diagnosed. In a
> way, the trouble is that there are too many ways of fixing it, from
> editing the X keyboard mapping file to lines in an individual vedinit.p,
> with levels of XTerm translations and poplog library files in between.
Yes, the multiple ways of doing one task, seems to be a philosophy of
poplog - initially disturbing to beginners.
> If we want potential new users to try out poplog, it's important that
> they have a working ved with which to read the documentation, and they
> can't be expected to disrupt their existing environments to get one.
> So ved has to be as robust as possible against unfamiliar terminal
> behaviour. That would suggest to me that, in the absence of an explicit
> .... etc ..
> Personally, I find plain ved in a linux console
> window just great - big, easy to read characters and lightning fast.
> But somehow I don't think it is going to have universal appeal.
Therefore I suggest that non-X working be the default mode.
Poplog doesn't NEED the M$-cartoon-like-driven mode.
Apparently each 'type' of X-term has different key mappings ?
This added layer of complication can be sorted out one day, but
need not hold back the growth of Linux based users.
Since the 'guts' of poplog is so good, we should be conservative
in changing/updating. Especially given the apparent few very
experienced contributors. Hopefully soon, a somewhat experienced
user set can handle beginners' queries to take some work load off
Aaron.
Chris Glur.
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