Subject: This Topline Menu Schtuff...
To: None <macbsd-general@sun-lamp.cs.berkeley.edu,>
From: Chris Kush <csk@laputa.eecs.nwu.edu>
List: macbsd-general
Date: 06/20/1994 09:50:44
Yes, if you want to use the mouse,. open /dev/mouse.
To those who want a Real Slick Console Package, I hasten to state that
No Slick, Convenient, or even Occasionally Handy things should go in the
kernel. The Kernel should be a clean, happy place, content in its simplicity
and Filled with Tao.
To those purists, I suggest a User-Domain Console Support Emulation
Thingy, on the grounds that:
1) I don't think anyone is ready to say that "X Works" on
MacBSD. Also, I for one don't have much RAM to play with,
so I'm not going to be able to use X at first. A simple-yet-
functional console interface shore would come in handy.
2) How many people here have used a Sun's console WITHOUT
Open Crock or X or SunView? It is crap of the first water.
If someone wanted to bother to teach me the niceties of
writing a console package, I would be greatly surprised if
I could not do better.
So, write it in userland, not systemland, but do not think that such a
thing is not needed. I find that X's greatest functionality to me is having
three editors open on three different files, plus a window with compiler
warnings and a "run window." Virtual terminals are going to be the only way
to achieve this effect for a while.
IMHO, write a REALLY NICE user-process console thingus, with menus
(since the screen is bitmapped anyway :) ) and a free-ram bar, and a process
count. Invent a couple new system calls if you need to:
int GetNumProcesses()
but try to keep the kernel clean, so when I get into writing consoles I can
replace yours.
csk
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