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Archive-name: auto/comp.editors/TERSE-the-4K-editor-version-1-4

Version 1.4 of the TERSE editor, the 4096 bytes editor for all PC
compatibles, is now available for anonymous FTP download from cs.ubc.ca
(IP 137.82.8.5):

/ftp/pickup/terse/trs140f.zip   The full distribution:    ~175K
/ftp/pickup/terse/trs140a.zip   An abridged distribution:  ~27K

The full distribution includes version 0.9 of the SLIM editor, a bigger
brother to TERSE. (If you don't know what TERSE and SLIM are, read on.)

As usual this version represents even more code squeezing. The main
changes are:

    1. Greatly enhanced SLIM. Many gizmos. My favourite is ``pump
       block thru external filter'', with undo to that. Think of the
       possibilities: formatting, spelling, word counting, sorting, 
       sed and awk, DOS and 4DOS commands etc. 

    2. Availability of the source code with registration. This will
       give you an opportunity to examine all the dirty tricks I used 
       to save a byte or two, and perhaps suggest some of your own. 

    3. Better input handling when reading user's response to prompts. 

    4. Many utility programs, auxiliary batch files and
       UNIX like filters.

    5. Some (minor ?) bug fixes. 

    6. Enhanced configuration utilities.

    7. Better default key bindings for the palmtop version (H.COM).

If you are experiencing problems downloading these files (cs.ubc.ca is
picky for no real reason sometimes), or if you don't have FTP access,
please drop me a line and I will e-mail to you whichever distribution
you are interested in. The full distribution is sent out in 4 parts of
about 1000 uuencoded lines each. The abridged distribution (basically
just the TERSE editor and the manual) goes in one part of about 600
uuencoded lines.  

I try to reply to all mail messages within a few days. If you don't
get what you have requested within a week, send again, perhaps using
another route, and include alternate reply addresses in your message. 
If you don't know what TERSE and SLIM are, read on. 


TERSE and SLIM
==============
TERSE is a tiny (only 4096 bytes) but amazingly powerful full-screen
editor for files of up to 64K in length. TERSE runs on all PC compatible
machines. Its command keys are very similar to those of the famous BRIEF
editor (by UnderWare Inc.). TERSE can edit both UNIX and MS-DOS style text
files as well as binary files. No hacker's disk is complete without it.
No disk, be it hard or floppy, is too full to include it.

TERSE is free (but copyrighted) to private users. However, if you use
TERSE for any commercial application, i.e., in your company, at work,
etc., or make money from selling software or distributing shareware,
you are *required* to register your copy of TERSE. Registration cost is
only $15 and will buy you a personalized version, configuration utilities
and grant your institution a site license. For an additional payment of
only $5, you will get the source code of TERSE.

SLIM is a big brother of TERSE. It can do anything TERSE can, and a lot
more, including:  "read file into buffer" command, "switch to another
file" command <Alt-E>, "go to line number" command <Alt-G>,  "set right
margin" command <Alt-M>, "swap cursor and mark" command <Shift-Tab>,
"pump block thru external filter" command <Alt-F>,  "exchange marked block
with paste buffer" command <Keypad *>, "right margin set" command <Alt-M>
and word wrap, and display of the hexadecimal value of the current char
in the status line.

Many features can be easily added to SLIM by virtue of the "pump block
thru buffer (bound to the <Alt-F> key) command. Word counting, date
and time stamping, formatting, sorting, column summation, character
sets conversions are just a few examples.  Sophisticated users should
probably get copy of a DOS port of the famous UNIX 'sed' and 'awk',
and harness their power to enhance SLIM.  The effects of the extenal
filter can be undone by using "exchange marked block with paste buffer"
(bound to the <Keypad *> key).


Highlights
==========
 o  Very small: fits in 4096 bytes = 4 clusters on 5.25"/3.5" floppies.
 o  Minimal free memory requirements: 137KB.
 o  Use current screen size, including the most common 80x25 screen
    dimensions but also unusual sizes such as 40x16, 40x25, 40x40,
    40x50, 132x25, 132x43, 96x33, 80x30, 80x33, etc.
 o  Fully DESQview (version 2.0 and above) aware.
 o  Edit binary files. TERSE is ideal for a quick and dirty job
    of patching strings in small executables.
 o  Supports editing of UNIX style files (lines terminated with '\n').
 o  Supports both '/' and '\' as directory separator.
 o  Edit lines of unlimited length (limited only by file size).
 o  Automatic unlimited horizontal scrolling.
 o  Status line indicating: current column, current line, horizontal
    scrolling, total number of lines, file name, modified status and
    insert/overwrite status.
 o  BRIEF-like keyboard configuration.
 o  Support for TABS, and configurable tab positions.
 o  Prevents snow when run on a CGA screen.
 o  CUT, COPY and PASTE
 o  SEARCH, SEARCH again, and TRANSLATE commands.
 o  Safe: will confirm exits when text is not saved.
 o  Edit files whose name contains spaces and other weird names.

Requirements
=============
 o  PC-DOS/MS-DOS version 2.0 or higher
 o  137KB free memory (more for the Alt-F and Alt-Z commands to work) 
 o  64KB free disk space


New in version 1.4
==================
1) The source code of TERSE is now made available to the public for a
   very modest registration fee of $20: $15 for the basic registration,
   and an additional $5 for the source code.

2) The pre-release of SLIM was greatly enhanced. SLIM can do every
   thing TERSE can, and has the following additional features:

   o  "read file into buffer" command <Alt-R>
   o  "switch to another file" command <Alt-E>, 
   o  "go to line number" command <Alt-G>, 
   o  "set right margin" command <Alt-M>,
   o  "swap cursor and mark" command <Shift-Tab>, 
   o  "pump block thru external filter" command <Alt-F>, 
   o  "exchange marked block with paste buffer"  command <Keypad *>, and 
   o   display of the hexadecimal value of the current char in the
       status line.

   The current char display uses a special notation for the TAB, EOF
   and CR characters as well as for the CRLF combination.

3) Whenever TERSE prompts you for an input it will also offer your
   previous input to the same prompt as a default response string. For
   example, upon pressing <Alt-S>, TERSE will display the prompt "Search
   for: " in the status line, and will offer your previous response
   to the prompt "Search for: ". You can use this previous response
   unchanged (hit <ENTER>) or you can delete characters from it (use the
   <Backspace> key) or you can add characters to it (hit any arrow key,
   and start adding characters. If you immediately start typing a new
   entry, the default string is deleted and replaced by what you type.
   Hitting the <Ctrl-U> key (settable in the configuration utilities)
   will delete all the currently entered response. (13 bytes squeezed in.)

4) Several external filters are now included in the unabridged
   distribution. These utilities are intended to be used in conjunction
   with the "pump block thru external filter" command.  These filters
   include among others: 'cat', 'wc', 'lf', 'crlf', 'quote' and 'nfmt'.
   With the exception of 'nfmt', the registration of TERSE includes
   registration of all of these programs.

5) Several useful utilities are now included with in unabridged
   distribution. These utilities include among others the following
   programs: 'esc', 'lptstat', 'bigc', 'litc'. The registration of TERSE
   includes registration of all of these utilities.

6) A pre-release of TERSE for the HP 95lx palmtop (named h.com) is
   now included in the unabridged distribution. This program, together
   with the option in the configuration utilities to set the file size
   replaces WEE. The key binding of H.COM is slightly different than
   that of TERSE and SLIM, to support the keyboard of the HP 95lx.

7) The font loader and the fonts used for editing binary files are
   now included in the unabridged distribution.

8) The configuration utilities have been enhanced. Among other
   things, more control of the status line attributes was added and
   more options of automatic horizontal scroll. Thanks to Mike Bessy
   (from JP Soft- ware) <75300.1215@compuserve.com> and to Terry Chan
   <echan@chinug.acns.nwu.edu> for suggesting some of these changes.

9) The distribution of TERSE now includes a batch file to assist
   in invoking the editor on several files. An .BTM file for setting
   appropriate aliases in 4DOS is included as well.

10) Many of the documentation and configuration utilities
   typos have been corrected. Special thanks to Joan Abarbanel
   <abraban@taunivm.tau.ac.il> for her careful proofreading of a previous
   version of this file. Terry Chan <echan@chinug.acns.nwu.edu> did a
   great job of pointing out to me errors and typos in the configuration
   utilities as well as in the documentation. [Note that I still take
   the credit and blame for all remaining errors which have not yet been
   found and corrected.]

11) The following scenario used to create a file of length 0:

    T newfile
    <Alt-Q>

   This bug has been fixed. Thanks to the many kind users who brought
   this bug to my attention. (4 bytes of code added.)

12) TERSE recognizes and parses correctly file names which include
   dots in them (e.g., ..\..\file.dat). Previously, such files would
   not be saved. (20 bytes code squeezed in.)

13) TERSE can now read files of size 65,535 exactly. Previously,
   files of this size could be created by TERSE, but not read by it.
   (4 bytes code squeezed in.)

14) Eliminated several bugs related to the display of the help screen,
   including the misalignment when ANSI console driver was present,
   eliminated. (12 bytes gained.)

15) Eliminated a bug which could have caused TERSE to hang after
   pushing to DOS version 2.x. (4 bytes code squeezed in.)

16) Terse now beeps whenever a save file attempt fails. Previously, the
   only indication of such an error was that the "Write successful"
   message didn't appear. (2 bytes code squeezed in.)

--
Joseph (Yossi) Gil                 {alberta,uw-beaver,uunet}!ubc-cs!yogi
Dept. of Computer Science          yogi@cs.ubc.ca (cs.ubc.ca=137.82.8.5)
6356 Agricultural Road., Univ. of B.C.,             Tel: +1-604-822-8175
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z2, Canada.       Fax: +1-604-822-5485

--
Joseph (Yossi) Gil                 {alberta,uw-beaver,uunet}!ubc-cs!yogi
Dept. of Computer Science          yogi@cs.ubc.ca (cs.ubc.ca=137.82.8.5)
6356 Agricultural Road., Univ. of B.C.,             Tel: +1-604-822-8175
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z2, Canada.       Fax: +1-604-822-5485