[57] in Release_7.7_team
Four possible User Visible Changes in Andrew version 6.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bill Cattey)
Wed Apr 20 01:25:50 1994
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 1994 01:25:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: Bill Cattey <wdc@MIT.EDU>
To: release-77@MIT.EDU
Here is the list of the FOUR User Visible changes I wish to introduce in
Andrew version 6.
Strictly speaking change number two is invisible unless you are looking for it.
I STRONGLY recommend you say 'yes implement change number one'.
I CAN turn off this functionality, but it would be at odds with user comfort
now that the functionality is available.
I do not feel strongly about change #3. If you don't want me changing
the Special menu card. Say so. I'll live. But I recommend adopting
the change.
I feel more strongly about change #4. The writing folks have just
learned about hyperlinks, and they really like them.
I am sorry this list comes to you for review so close to code cut.
I only took the andrew release friday, and only got it working on the
Decstation
yesterday.
----CHANGE 1----
EZ now follows the same behavior that all our other applications do with
X selections.
Old Way to select from EZ and paste into Xterm:
Highllight a string
Type M-w to copy the region to the Cut buffer
put the mouse in your X term window
press middle button to paste
note: everybody currently forgets the M-w,
curses under their breath, and tries again.
New Way:
Highllight a string
put the mouse in your X term window
press middle button to paste
note: if you did the M-w command out of habit,
nothing bad would happen. It would act the same.
Old Way of de-selecting the EZ selection.
Not possible outside the EZ window.
New Way
Highlight a string in another window.
(JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER APPS)
Pasting into an EZ window is still the same as it ever was:
type the ^Y command.
I have used this new implementation, and I love it.
Users have been crying for it for years.
We tried to add it last release, but they screwed up the initial
implementation to do very non-intuitive things with the kill ring.
Now the kill ring and selections work just like EMACS users and
EZ users expect them to.
I'd say that I've been using EZ the longest of anyone. The old selection
behavior screwed me up EVERY DAY. THIS CHANGE IS WONDERFUL.
You should try it.
----CHANGE 2----
There is a mode (like C text for C language editing) for html.
With the emerging popularity of WWW, I propose to put this html
editing mode onto the packs by default so that users editing a .html file
will get this mode.
----CHANGE 3----
I propose to add an item to the 'Special' menu card:
'Insert troff'
This would be the preferred way to insert troff commands into
your EZ file instead of the format note.
----CHANGE 4----
I propose to add an item to the 'Special' menu card:
'Insert hyper-link'
This would insert a hyperlink object into your ez file so you could
fly off into other ez files just like people are so excitedly doing in
Mosaic. (The functionality has been there for years, in EZ. Users
are finally ready for it.)
Threre is an impact to changes 3 and 4: Some slides in the EZ minicourse
would have to change to exactly show what the Special Menu card was.
----
Thank you for your consideration.
I apologize for the length of this note.
I wanted to be VERY clear on the impacts of these changes.
-wdc
