Re: the glass tty model of human-computer interaction

[Charles Hallenbeck <2ndsight@taconic.net>]

I have had a lot of experience with line editors dating from the late
1960s and as I think about it, it has been a very long time since I have
used one. I presently use a standard word processor for writing and
editing documents (I hate to admit it but I am a WordStar freak), and a
full screen "visual editor" (Brief by Borland and Underware) for program
preparation and editing.
I think the reason line editors and the dumb terminal went together so
well was the fact that one had to use the same key presses for editor
commands as for data entry. That meant there needed to be a convention for
switching back and forth between "edit mode" and "command mode". Even
though as a blind user I perhaps cannot appreciate the expanse of the
whole screen at once, there is an enormous convenience in not having to
think constantly about this distinction between the two "modes". Thus
while VI is a visual editor, it retains the problem of "edit mode" and
"command mode" and therefore resembles an older style line editor more
closely than a modern word processor.
Word processors and single-mode editors are clearly more convenient than
dual-mode editors, whether line or full screen oriented.
Thanks for your very interesting question.
BTW -- our screen review software, provox, has two modes of operation
which we call "standard mode" and "enhanced mode." In the former, one
needs to switch back and forth between using the keyboard for
communicating with the application, or using it for reviewing the screen.
The enhanced mode sets aside the numeric keypad for the exclusive use of
the speech software, so that in effect it is always in review mode, while
the rest of the keyboard is always in the active data entry mode. There
are in effect two cursors, one controlled by the running application and
one controlled by the user for screen review purposes. I had not thought
before about the similarity of this modality to the question of editor
design, but the similarity is striking.
 

Chuck -- Second Sight Software
Now using Linux and PINE