X-Envelope-to: NOTABENE@TAUNIVM.BITNET
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Date:         Sun, 6 Sep 92 23:47:00 MET
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From:         VANDIJK@ALF.LET.UVA.NL
Subject:      RE: Converting NB3 keyboard table
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.notabene


James (and others),

Since I have had NB4 (a week now), I (also?) have spent much time
rewriting the NB.KBD file of NB4 so as to fit my many personal wishes.
Of course I also thought of a "program" that would do that, and I guess
one could an XPL program (or easier, and more efficient a Pascal --
or other-- program) to do just that. For a personal file that would
take maybe as much time as writing the new NB.KBD (much of which is
copying special key assignments). However, since in the new NB.KBD
file so many keys are already assigned that were not in the NB3
version (and vice versa, though less), one needs to evaluate for
each new key whether one prefers to keep the new out-of-the-box
definition (e.g. for new functions/commands) or one's own personal
old one. If Dragonfly/NBI would specify which of the many keys
have changed, and which cannot simply be altered (e.g. because
of the totally new HELP file and .OVR --overlay-- file structure),
that would help to change (with a program) the official NB3 version
into the official NB4 one (although that would help only --probably
few-- who did not change the NB3 keyboard file). Conclusion: If one
wants to keep some of the more interesting new functions of NB4 the
job must be done manually, which also is a good opportunity
to rethink one's old (and some forgotten!) assignments.

To facilitate the job of redoing the NB.KBD one now has the new
keyboard program. However, I find that hardly handy: (1) one must
close all files and run the program, and (2) for quickly testing
on files, this is not very fast. So I wrote an XPL program that
(if it did not exist already --I did not check) that allows
you to write e.g. C-p or CSA-Enter on the command line (after
pressing a key calling that program, called FINDKEYS) wil
will automatically bring you to the correct key number for
Control-p or Control-Shift-Alt-Enter instead of constantly
paging through the file, checking which number corresponds
with what key, etc. (if one has no key-names attached to
the numbers as I had in the NB3 version). This makes changing
the keyboard very fast and efficient, also for constantly
changing it (what we need also as long as the promised
Key Recorder is not there and we are waiting for a new version
of Masterman's recording program). In sum, "even" (?) NB4 is
not perfect, and one must craft the means to live with it,
since it is still the best text editor around.

While I am at this point at customizing most of us are probably
now engaged in:

(1) Yes, there are still a considerable number of bugs here and
there, and I guess that after a few months we can an update repairing
them, while also delivering some of the goods promised we did not get.

(2) While the old HELP file could rather easily be rewritten (and
especially abbreviated so as to save memory and throw away the
"help" one did not need), the new HELP file is immense, and not
as easy to redo (it would takes many weeks to examine the half
megabyte of code to see what is needed, linked up with other
parts, etc.). However, I was able to append [it did not work
in the beginning of the file) much of my own personal help file
functions at the end, and that does work). Since the new HELP
file is only partly loaded, however, its length is no memory
probblem anymore: However, all you add will also be loaded I
noticed: so now I have a 17K HELP loaded.

(3) Yes, unfortunately (responding to Hans Borchers) NB4 eats up
a lot of memory, and from the Memory table (for beginners: put
func me to a key instead of going through the several steps of
the HELP menu!), one cannot see where all that memory goes, since
the NB.COM+NBEDIT.EXE files (loaded together?) do not seem that
big together).

(4) One solution to the memory problem is not loading a printer
file, or --as I did-- rewrite mine so as to feature only those
types/sizes you need for screen editing (widths!) and ordinary
printing, and loading the full printer table only when needed
for special types/sizes). My (deskjet and HPIII) files are only
about 15K (take care: some new printing modes, like XD, which
I first deleted as irrelevant, appear to be necessary for
width calculation, e.g. for correct screen display, and for
using TABS, etc.).

(5) Without a list of explanation (I asked NBI custom servive
service for such a list) for the various abbreviations and
codes, the essential NBCUSTOM.SET file is partly a mystery,
and for those who prefer to play around directly with that
files instead of only making new settings through the SET
menu, it is still guessing what means what. Maybe the new
manual explains this file in detail.

(6) Another memory problem is/was spelling, especially now.
Fortunately I found that the old MX=10 setting, absent in
the NBCUSTOM.SET (and --not yet-- discovered in the menu)
works also for NB4: when spelling only 10K instead of 108K
is loaded, the rest in (say) virtual memory. However, it
makes the speller somewhat slower, but one can spell long
files for which otherwise there would be an "Out of Memory"
message. I have not yet found any incompatibilities yet,
but they might appear.

(7) I have also rewritten my (Pascal) program BIB-IBID that
automatically makes a (not quite perfect, but rather
acceptable) set of NBIBIDXXXX.DAT files for the (new)
IBID. If you have many thousands of references (some 4 MB)
as I had, and it takes a few minutes to write the .DAT
files, it is easier that to retype 4 MB of bibliographical
data. The program presumes (however) APA style references,
because it needs at least a bit of a norm. Although it
is somewhat flexible, it cannot (of course) handle very
specific bibliographical data. For perfect .DAT files
one would have to check the .DAT files, but I don't need
such perfection because they show me what I need during
writing, and they make the APA style in final form I
had in the first place (also a reason I don't use IBID
much anyway, but instead my own program for making
the bibliographical References for an article or book,
directly from the textfile, without Bibliographical
references hidden in the text, as for IBID). I'll send
the new BIB-IBID program to Tel Aviv for inclusion in
the NB file system, together with the Pascal code (with
requests for suggestions for making it better. Thanks).

Sorry for being so long (maybe because I did not read
this list for more than 6 months, because of travelling
and lack of time).

Teun A. van Dijk
University of Amsterdam
Program of Discourse Studies
210 Spuistraat
1012 VT Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Phone: +31-20-525.3834 (office)
Phone: +31-20-6.27.37.47 (home --after 14 hrs)
FAX:   +31-20-525.3052 (office)
FAX :  +31-20-639.1727 (home)
E-mail: teun@alf.let.uva.nl

(for NB messages only: vandijk@alf.let.uva.nl).

Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU