Re: Re[2]: Using BACKSPACE as a function key?

[Evan Harris <spanner@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Eric,

<snip>
>     I can't seem to locate any information on "text assist", but I do 
>     remember hearing of such a feature... I think we had problems using 
>     OV400 at a remote location because the remote controller had to be 
>     upgraded to support this workstation management feature. But for 

As I remember it, text assist was provided with (or was needed for)
OfficeVision. Anther term I remember was "adapted word processing editor"
or some such like, which was what you got if your terminal couldn't utilise
the OfficeVision Editor. Basically, my understanding was that the text
assist function was used to provide the formatting type stuff for word
processing and needed an intelligent work station to take advantage of it.
I think it hid the carriage returns, tabs amd formatting an other internal
document stuff.

I also remember that if you used PC Support and didn't do a STRPCO you
wouldn't get the correct editor when trying to type an OfficeVision note.

I think it worked on some dumb screens, like a 3180 for instance and not
others, but I couldn't swear to this.

I do rememebr replacing a whole lot of 5294's with 5394's to allow the text
assist functions to be used, but I also remember thinking at the time that
it was probably some IBM plot to sell more controllers ! *grin* I also
remember it quite suited me to get rid of the 5294's though I very much
liked them for their reliability and the fact that they didn't have a
bloody diskette drive.

On the subject of your backspace thing, I can't answer you problem, but you
might want to consider another recollection from my OfficeVision
administration days. I can't say whether these functions will allow you to
use the backspace key, but I seem to remember that one of the reasons for
doing a RGZDLO was that the documents internally stored backspaces, deleted
text etc and thuerefore could end up taking more space due to them being a
collection of keystrokes: i.e. "AS/400" if mistyped would be stored
internally as "AS/500<BS><BS><BS>400". This could be hearsay or speculation
though, it's just something I remember as an explanation from an IBM
OfficeVision Admin course as to why RGZDLO was required.

I'm a little hazy on all this stuff because Office is a few years in the
past for me now ;)
+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---