🚀 go-pugleaf

>From C70:daemon  Thu May 27 02:54:46 1982
*from:  BOB (Bob Frankston)
Local:  editor-people at mit-ai
Original-date:  23 MAY 1982 18:16:56
Remailed-date: 27 May 1982 0004-PDT
Remailed-from: J.Q. Johnson <Admin.JQJ at SU-SCORE>
Remailed-to: Editor People: ;

Seeing the latest cruft coming by, I thought I should add a few
(brief?) comments:

     1. I can't find the arrows on most keyboards with my
        fingers, but I can find keys with mnemonic associations
        on the home keys (Next/Previous, Backwards/Forwards).
        I switch keybroads alot -- typically using on with each
        hand.

     2. For the EMACS I implemented on Prime, I have both 2d
        mode and 1d mode.  Typically I run in 1d mode, but edit
        tables using 2d mode in conjunction with replace mode.

     3. I have only limited sympathy for trying to offload
        echoing to the terminal since computers are getting
        quite cheap.  Unfortunately, packet charges on networks
        are such that it is probably cheaper to dialup cross
        country than use a packet net for Emacs,

        Thus local echoing has a value.  Multics echo
        negotiation appears to be a reasonable attempt at this.
        The echoing is done by a separate communications
        processor which can be located near the terminal and is
        given a simple rule such as echo until you see "n"
        characters or see a nongraphic.  It should be possible
        to specify a set of tables or choose one so that people
        can rebind keys without being stuck with the wired in
        bindings.  If one rebinds alot of keys (to implement
        replace mode for example) one might not be able to use
        a general purpose approach, though the editor should
        know about the common ones to optimize them.  The basic
        rinicple is taht these optimization should help in
        common cases but should not restrict what can be done
        if the user is willing to accept less efficiency.
        Ideally the degradation should be gradual so that
        rebinding the "A" key does not prevent the use of any
        local echoing.