Subject: Re::: NeWS SIG; Emacs Window Goodies; PostScript as compiler target

From: [email-masked] (required by law)
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 87 13:14:48 EST

This is a batch of three replies to previous NeWS-makers messages:

------ Re: NeWS SIG at SUG

As Don has mentioned, there will be a NeWS SIG at Sun User Group on Wednesday,
Dec.  9 at 10:00am.  We have no strict agenda, but we would like to hear from
anyone who is interested in giving a presentation so we'll have some idea how
much time we can allot, and whether we'll need any special equipment (VCR,
overhead, etc.)  If you have any spiffy NeWS applications that you don't mind
showing, see if you can bring them on tape, either Sun executable or a
pre-recorded videotape demo.  Please send mail to
[email-masked] if you are interested.  Thanks to those
who have already responded, and apologies for this late announcement.

------ Re:  Emacs window goodies

We have a version of Emacs that uses NeWS to advantage, using multiple NeWS
frames (i.e., windows) and many other neat things.  It isn't generally
available yet, but we'll be showing it at Sun User group.  There is a dumber
version (V2.15) available now; it uses the mouse to point at things and drag
modelines around, but it uses only one NeWS window for its editor "windows".

Besides all the things you would expect from any Emacs, the smart one uses,
and gives programs access to, the usual set of interface objects (dialog
boxes, menus, etc.).  It also provides text editor windows and listener
windows, which present an interactive program (such as a shell) in an editable
window, so you can review the session, recall previous commands (a la Korn
shell), cut and paste between other listener/editor windows, write listener
sessions to files, stuff files to the programs, etc.  Since it's Emacs, you
can extend it with keyboard macros (somewhat like event journaling but much
easier to handle) and extension language code.

This is a very nice environment for developing under NeWS.  You can run a NeWS
server listener in a window, which is akin to running psh in a psterm window,
except that listeners are editable with command recall, etc.  You can edit
PostScript code in another editor window, and load it (or some part of it,
such as the nearest 'def') into the NeWS server listener with two keystrokes.
This allows very fast prototyping (as long as you don't confuse the server too
much with bogus code).  The editor has a mode designed for editing PostScript
code, which is sensitive to comment/code contexts, so you can fill a paragraph
within a comment, for example.  There is a database of descriptions of the
PostScript and NeWS operators, so you can see a description of something by
mousing it.  You can add descriptions of your own things very easily.

Emacs also serves well as glue for building applications.  It provides a
ready-made, user-customizable/extensible front-end and command dispatcher.  It
includes a set of subsystems, including a customizable on-line documentation
reader and a file-system browser, that are useful in many applications.  It is
possible, for example, to build a sophisticated front end to a dumb program
(i.e., one with a stone-age user interface, like raw dbx) very quickly.  If
there is any interest, we'll provide an ed(1) interface later on.

------ Re: PostScript as an intermediate language

I've wished that I didn't have to write so much PostScript code myself, so
I've been looking into writing a back-end for the Amsterdam compiler kit that
produces PostScript code.  This kit consists of a set of modules that you can
mix'n'match to build a compiler for any of several source languages that
produces code for any of several target machines.  At first glance it doesn't
look to be very difficult to produce a PostScript target module.  I'll discuss
this at the NeWS SIG with anyone who is interested...

------
Mike Gallaher
Emacs Hacker Boss
UniPress Software