Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2002 17:55:44 -0800
Mr. Garold L. Johnson
dynalt@dynalt.com
Dynamic Alternatives
Subject: | SDS upgrade |
Gary,
[Responding to your letter earlier today... ]
Please see my answers in Blue...
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
Rod has talked with you about the possibility that I might help with completing the task of converting MEDIT to C using the Windows model to increase file sizes, etc.
Before I commit to this, however, I wanted to discuss several of the issues that I see involved.
[Jones, Morris] I haven't found/made the time. SDS is both a management method, and a software platform. I am also employed and trying to raise kids, stay married, have a life, etc.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] I wrote an editor with macro capabilities. Rod turned it into SDS through years of hard work. I used the C version personally as an editor. The editor is like the old IBM VM editor.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] See above.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] No
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] It was too hard to use in those days. My work style didn't lend it's self to long sessions of analysis.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] There are a few others, but the list is small at this point.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
Rod believes that the objective is to rewrite the existing MEDIT, including the macro language, in C, and thus have SDS move with the conversion.
[Jones, Morris] He doesn't want to rewrite his macros. I have suggested he learn C and then port the macros to that, but he hasn't done it to date.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] I feel in the end you will really want a full blow application. A text mode MEDIT on windows with more memory will solve some of Rods short term issues, but will not result in a very marketable product in my opinion.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] No
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] No, it's just the one Rods macros are currently developed in. I have suggested MS Word could be used with visual basic, but he hasn't gone there. Originally, he focused on speed as an important part of ease of use. Medit is written in assembly language, uses linked lists, and is quite fast on slow machines. In the days of 2GHz machines, that limit could be relaxed quite a bit.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] That is a reasonable starting point. I feel a good data flow and structure map needs to be created. And a different application created from those.
The current program could be used for that. I have tried this with Rod, but we didn't get very far.
The current program has a lot of dependencies on line numbers. This may require making some fundamental changes in the user interface and linking system to get rid of them.
Rod likes "grocery store codes", and uses them quite effectively. His subject index is much like a work breakdown system with a long string of small numbers representing an entry in the system. I feel you should explore how to accomplish the same things differently, and in a manner more easily adopted by a larger audience.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
I do not have much in the way of free time, and it is getting worse. My current contract will end within a few months at most, and I need to try again to establish a source of income.. Any effort I undertake on SDS will be done rather slowly.
[Jones, Morris] I understand. At this time, I am not aware of any formal funding for a SDS project.
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] What do you consider the future? I thought the language battles had died down somewhat. If developing for cross platforms, there is only C and Java. Java looks like C to me (Joke)
[Gary Johnson wrote....]
[Jones, Morris] I have quite a few on the editor core. I also understand the macro language Rod has used. He has the knowledge on the "SDS" use of the system. It will probably take both of us to really close the loop.
Cable Network Operation
Morris E. Jones
Business Unit Manager
morris.jones@intel.com
408 765 8080