In a recent note, Alan Altmark said: > Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 00:13:24 -0400 > > > > > - Line editing ought to be disabled by default on graphic > > >terminals. > > > > For for full-screen applications, yes: not for line-mode input. > > By coincidence, the userid and password fields on the VM logo are being > changed to stop line editing since there is no ambiguity in what is > At first, it sounds like a good idea.
> essentially a full-screen app. But if you press <enter> and go back into > line mode, then the default VM line editing characters (those specified or > defaulted in SYSTEM CONFIG) are in effect, even before you log on. > > But then you had to spoil it. > > > The feature is useful only on keyboard-printer terminals. > > > > The feature is useful for line-mode input on a 3270. BTDTGTS. > Why? How? > VM allows the sysprog to set the line editing defaults. The most > reasonable are: CHARDEL OFF LINEND # ESCAPE " LINEDEL OFF. Character and > '#' is not reasonable because it is a "national" character valid in filenames in both VM and MVS. It took an APAR against XEDIT to get "LOAD FOO#BAR ft fm" to work because there's no way to disable LINEND before doing a LOAD. IIRC, the APAR caused XEDIT on entry to use the setting of CP LINEND. > line delete aren't necessary any more and the default of CHARDEL @ just > They were never necessary; they're no longer even useful. > creates havoc with internet addressing. Users are free to set their own > values to override the defaults. > The most reasonable values are all "OFF" in order to minimize the initial learning effort and astonishment factor for new users. As they gain sophistication, they "are free to set their own values ..." People today are quite accustomed to graphic workstations where no displayable character is usurped for editing functions. VM is simply an anachronism in this respect. Likewise, ISPF's default of ';' as a command separator is an irritant; I disabled it so long ago that I forget how. I want to be able to search for a target that contains ';', and IIRC, ';' was not treated as an ordinary character even in a quoted string. I customarily just SET LINEDIT OFF. Every character on the keyboard is too precious to squander on editing functions of relatively little value on a graphic terminal. if I could use CTRL characters for the editing functions, I might feel differently. -- gil -- StorageTek INFORMATION made POWERFUL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
