In article <Bysr1q.34o@cs.bham.ac.uk> axs@cs.bham.ac.uk (Aaron Sloman) writes:
>tmr@cs.bham.ac.uk (Tim Read) writes:
>
>> Organization: School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, UK
>> Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1992 16:09:22 GMT
>>
>> One of the features I particularly like about emacs is its use of modes. A
>> mode is the way that the editor defines the functionality of a buffer and
>> the associated set of key bindings that go along with it.
>
>I believe some HCI people argue that mode-less systems are best.
True, but the only *truly* modeless system is one which is unplugged
:-) The clever bit comes in preventing the users from realising this
fact.
>
>VED already has some of these modes determined by variables like
>vedbreak, vedindentstep, etc. and there's scope for matching them
>to file names using vedfiletypes (See HELP VEDFILETYPES)
>
The problem is, that in ved one has a set of independent options, and
must hence set these variables independently (of couse, one can write
ved_email_mode and put in in one's vedinit.p, but that's a different
thing. An emacs mode could be considered to be a binding of a set of
these attribute settings, with the addition of such things as key
bindings etc.
The power of emacs modes is that you have comething approaching
a class hierachy - thus electric-c-mode (which does all the neat
indenting for you without even having to press return) is a minor mode
of c-mode, which itself is a minor mode of.... all the way down to
fundamental mode. True, there's nothing here which can't be done in
ved: the point is, it *hasn't* been done in ved.
--
&ndy Holyer, School of Cognitive and |Due to recent events in the USA,
Computing Studies, University of Sussex, |I find I can no longer use this
JANET: andyh@cogs.sussex.ac.uk |.sig quote. Normal service will
|be resumed when I find another one.
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