🚀 go-pugleaf

   I am using a new Decstation 5000 with its crummy LK201 keyboard and
X-windows environment.  I have a few questions (probable FAQs) and some
_gripes_ about setting up key bindings, menus, mouse operation, X
functions....

   If you would email your responses to me I would be happy to post a summary:
wald@dover.sps.mot.com

   If the answer is in a manual or release note somewhere, please point
me to the right one.  Comments like RTFM don't help at all.  I have four
of 'em open right now.

   My DS5000/200 system is running MWM under:
ULTRIX V4.0 (Rev. 179) System #7: Fri Jan 18 15:43:53 MST 1991
UWS V4.0 (Rev. 164)


   Questions (pardon the gripey tone and the length of the list):

   (Key Bindings) Does anyone have a set of Xdefault key translations
that will set up the labelled keys to do what the labels say... e.g.
"Insert Here" (paste?), "Remove" (cut?), "Prev/Next Screen", and "Help"?
Would someone mind telling me what "Do" is supposed to _do_?  Is there
any kind of standard setup for the F1-20 function keys?  I found the
sample set of key bindings in the man page on X, but those bindings make
no use of function keys or pre-labeled keys whatsoever.  Obviously they
were written for the "generic" machine.

   (MWM Functions) Where is the list of f.functions I can put into
".mwmrc"? Is it possible to copy the "pause" and "quit" functions from
the session menu of session-manager into the root menu?

   (MWM Menus) I would like to create an "Edit" menu for a submenu of
the SampleWindowMenu.  It would have "Cut", "Copy", "Paste", and
"Clear".  I found "dxcut" in the man pages, but there is no such thing
in my path to execute.  So, where is it, and where are dxcopy, dxpaste,
and dxclear?  (You can tell I am used to a Macintosh, can't you.)  Of
course, I would also like to bind these to F1-F4 (except that F1 seems
to be reserved as the "hold" key).
   Why won't "Close" (f.kill) cause a CLEAN exit from the
application? For a long time I wase plagued with zero-length JNL files
from dxnotepad until I realized "Close" from the window menu wasn't
doing the same thing as Quit or Exit from the application menu bar.

   (dx... apps) Is it possible to get mouse Btn2 to pull down the
menu-bar menus instead of JUST Btn1?
   Why isn't there any standardization among resource names?  E.g.
"startup_state" vs. "initialState"; "x" and "y" vs. "geometry"....

   (dxterm) When I hit the button with a large square in the upper right
of the frame on a dxterm window, the window first expands to fill the
screen then drops back to some slightly smaller size to fit the font in
use.  OK, but then when I hit the large square button again, the dxterm
does NOT revert to its original size, but tries to expand again.  Bug?
Is there a way to disable that button on dxterm windows?
   Just HOW do I get dxterm to behave like a proper vt#00 with
programs that produce graphics?  I tried to get HSPLOT (the plot routine
with HSPICE) to work under all sorts of customize (General Terminal ID)
options and HSPLOT output terminal types and despite hours of work NEVER
GOT A SINGLE GRAPHIC LINE OF OUTPUT. Only text came through.
   Why doesn't dxterm have a SEARCH menu like dxnotepad?
   Can I please have a terminal font whose "normal" set is like
the dec-terminal font's "bold" set?  On this screen the 14pt "normal"
font looks grey and washed-out and is very hard to read.

   (dxnotepad) Is there some way to get "dxnotepad" to replace
word-wrapping with actual <CR>'s?  E.g. preparatory to posting the file.

   (dxue) What gives with saving views in the "User Executive"?  Why
won't dxue put changes made in the CUSTOMIZE menu into ALL the views?
Why does it save ALL the menu items and file type crud for all views
EXCEPT the Startup View?  Why does it wait until "Exit" to update
".ue_profile"?  In fact, "Save as Startup View" does not work at all.
It looks like the startup view always becomes whatever state the UE was
in when last exited.
   Where is the spec that tells dxue what each different file type is
for double click actions?
   What is the resource/value to tell dxue to startup as an icon?

   (scroll bars) Is there some way to change the scroll bars in all the
dx... windows to work the way the xman window's work?  (Window text moves 
while I hold down Btn2 on the scroll bar and move it up or down).
 
   (mouse) Why isn't there something in the manuals on the operation of
the mouse? I had to have someone else show me how to copy & paste using
mouse button three (Btn3), after struggling with cut, copy and paste
from the (sometimes nonexistant) "Edit" menu for weeks.  Can this
operation be modified by the user? How?  Why does it paste a bunch of
random stuff if the mouse slips and moves while Btn3 is down?
   What about changing the operation of Btn2 with pull down menues?
Is there any way to remember the last menu item and use that as a
default (highlighted, under the cursor, waiting for just a click).  Can
I change it from holding only while the button is pressed to waiting
(like it does when the "-" box on the frame is pressed)?  Is there some
way to get Btn2 to pull down the menu from a menu bar (instead of only
Btn1), since Btn2 is the menu button for everything else?  It seems like
there is still a lot of operational detail hidden from the user.

   (keyboard) What is the magic incantation to assign function keys to
Xwindow functions? Why don't the "Prev Screen", "Next Screen", "Insert
Here", "Remove", and "Select" keys do anything in ANY application?
"Find" works (sort-of) in dxnotepad, but NOWHERE ELSE!
   **FLAME**  Who is the IDIOT that put the "\" key inbetween "'" and
<Return>??? If this guy WANTED to frustrate a zillion touch typists, he
couldn't have found a better way! (Except perhaps to totally rearrange
everything... was Dvorak NUTS or WHAT?) <That'll start a netwar I bet>.

   (man) Is DEC working on a dxman to replace xman?  If so, I would like
to be able to select/copy text from the manual and hyper-click my way
through references etc.  Having Btn1 and Btn3 scroll the text up and
down when there is a scroll bar available is USELESS.  The "Prev/Next
Screen" buttons would be handy here.  Be sure to put in a search
function ... and Pleease leave the directory page where it WAS while I
click to the manual page and back.
	Does anyone know what makes xman just DIE in the middle of a
click-on-something-in-the-directory operation?  The windows all close
and disappear with nothing but a "Process # exited" message to the
parent.


-------FLAME ON--------
   Why doesn't DEC provide decent keyboard & window setups with
their installations?  Sure, the users would change things, but it would
be much better to have a usable set of bindings to start with wouldn't
it?  How long have they been working in this environment?  Surely their
designers and engineers have done better for themselves than what they
sold ME.  WHO IS KEEPING ALL THE GOOD STUFF HIDDEN???  DEC should be 
PROVIDING IT!
-------FLAME OFF-------

   To be fair, DEC provides a lot of help whenever I have REAL problems.
The response time on their 800 number is excellent. Their hardware
service is commendable.  DEC even sent an account manager to my site for
a visit. (I gave her this list... don't know how far it'll get). I
suppose if I had time to follow up on every one of these gripes via DEC
service, most of them could be solved eventually... but hey, if people
on the net have already fixed these problems... I could really use some
help here.

   Thanks for listening.

--
Steve Wald, Motorola Inc.
wald@dover.sps.mot.com