[9fans] using sam

[Digby Tarvin digbyt@acm.org]

>
>> The mouse paradigm works really well when I want to do
>> something that involves selecting arbitrary blocks of
>> text, but I find that I keep having to reach for the mouse
>> when I want do simple things like move the cursor, which I
>> find slows down my editing.
>
>It was easy to add the left and right cursor keys to acme. forsyth
>had a problem with this (and reckoned that rob did too) but I didn't
>much care. When others asked me for this, I added it. It turned
>out that I didn't use it much myself. Now I use wily (which has
>cursor keys by default) I find I cursor about a bit more. I can't
>fully explain this discrepancy.
>
You mean by modifying the source, or is there some sort of
key mapping function I havn't found.?

>> Cut and paste is a bit more tedious than just using vi in
>> combination with X's swipe and paste with middle button.
>> I guess I am looking for an 'insert highlighted text at
>> cursor' key or menu option.
>
>What you really want is acme's chorded cut & paste. It's the One
>True Way. Didn't Plan 9 sam have this? 8.5 did, I'm sure.
>
>> Perhaps I should be leaving myself in the sam window more?
>
>Try acme. I used to have my profile start acme rather than 8.5, and
>would only quit to use mothra or 5s ;-)
>

I really havn't looked at acme. Assumed it was some sort of
integrated edit/compile environment that is so popular in the
DOS/Windows world, so avoided it. Sounds like maybe I should
give it a look. I certainly havn't been converted to 8.5
yet.

>> Once there, I find I frequently have trouble getting it to accept
>> commands. Half the time it just accepts my command as text to be
>> stored in the buffer, so somehow I need a quick way of getting my
>> cursor to the end of the buffer where presumably commands will be
>> accepted (preferably without more mouse reaching)...
>
>There's the "Send" command on the menu. Write your command
>where you like, select it and "Send". Or select it using button 3 in
>acme.
>

Ah - had forgotten about send - thanks.

>> Is all of this normal behaviour, or is there a problem with
>> my sam setup?
>
>It's all fairly normal. sam and acme both require a certain amount
>of "user adjustment" (as does much of Plan 9) but, at least for
>acme, it's certainly worth it. I couldn't live without wily on Unix
>having gotten used to acme on Plan 9. Never really had much
>time for sam, but then I never explored structural regexps which
>were, I suppose, it's real advantage.
>
Do you recall where you got wiley from? I will have to set it
up and give it a try. It is still much easier to familiarise
myself with these things on a Unix machine, as that is what
I use when working.. and if I take the time to learn something,
I like to have it avialble in all my usual environments..

Thanks for your thoughts.

Regards,
DigbyT
-- 
Digby R. S. Tarvin                                              digbyt@acm.org
http://www.cthulhu.dircon.co.uk