From: ANU::"ANU-NEWS@VM1.NoDak.EDU@murtoa.cs.mu.oz" 2-AUG-1989 13:26:12.63 To: GIH900 CC: Subj: Editors for Naive Users Received: by anu.anu.oz (1.2/4.7) id AA24429; Wed, 2 Aug 89 13:29:41 est Received: from uunet by murtoa.cs.mu.oz with UUCP (5.5) id AA16408; Wed, 2 Aug 89 12:48:23 EST (from ANU-NEWS@VM1.NoDak.EDU for gih900@csc.anu.oz) Received: from vm1.NoDak.edu by uunet.uu.net (5.61/1.14) with SMTP id AA16168; Tue, 1 Aug 89 21:47:10 -0400 Message-Id: <8908020147.AA16168@uunet.uu.net> Received: from NDSUVM1.BITNET by VM1.NoDak.EDU (IBM VM SMTP R1.2.1MX) with BSMTP id 3954; Tue, 01 Aug 89 18:09:37 CDT Received: from NDSUVM1.LISTSERV by NDSUVM1.BITNET (Mailer R2.03B) with BSMTP id 3949; Tue, 01 Aug 89 18:09:36 CDT Date: Tue, 1 Aug 89 15:38:31 GMT Reply-To: Reg Quinton Sender: ANU-NEWS Discussion From: Reg Quinton Subject: Editors for Naive Users To: Multiple recipients of list ANU-NEWS I assume other sites have run into the situation where naive users are ticked off about ANU/NEWS because it assumes you know how to use an editor. The attached posting and command file are pretty self explanatory. I know it's not particularly deep, thought it might be helpful. -------- X-NEWS: uwovax local.newusers: 28 Path: uwovax!reggers From: REGGERS@uwovax.uwo.ca (Reg Quinton) Newsgroups: local.newusers Subject: Posting an Article -- a simple editor Message-ID: <3261@uwovax.uwo.ca> Date: 1 Aug 89 10:42:26 EDT Summary: News> set profile/editor=@news_manager:noedit Keywords: editor, naive, profile Distribution: uwo Approved: reggers@uwovax.uwo.ca Lines: 35 Many new users of ANU/NEWS (especially those new to Vax/VMS) have great difficulty posting their first article. The problem is that News assumes you know a bit about Vax/VMS already -- in particular that you know about the default editor. This is often a faulty assumption and naive users are rightly distressed when they find themselves put into a strange editting environment. Composing text can, and should be, simpler than that! We have therefore defined a procedure for entered text which easier to use (but without all the power of a Vax/VMS editor). We would encourage all beginning users to set their profile as follows: News> set profile/editor=@news_manager:noedit There are several other profile setting discussed in both the help system and the manual. If you have set your profile as above then the "Post" command will use this procedure for composing your message -- the procedure will say Enter text, end with ^Z (Control-Z) ----- You may then enter your message a line at a time with the usual line editting features of VMS. You end your text with a Control-Z character which is constructed by typing a `Z' while holding down the `Control' key. Once you have learned an editor on the Vax/VMS environment you can then set your profile accordingly, for example News> set profile/editor=emacs -- Telephone: (519) 661 2151 x6026 (a real person and not a machine) Canada: reggers@uwo.ca (used to be UWO.CDN) BITNET: reggers@uwovax.BITNET (for the ethnocentric) UUCP: reggers@julian.UUCP (...!watmath!julian..) ----- news_manager:noedit.com: $ ! The most primitive editor for news -- read from your console $ ! $ ! Reg Quinton ; 1-Aug-89 $ ! $ if p1 .eqs. "" $ then $ write sys$output "Oops .... missing parameter" $ exit $ else $ write sys$output "Enter text, end with ^Z (Control-Z)" $ write sys$output "-----" $ copy sys$command 'p1' $ endif -- Telephone: (519) 661 2151 x6026 (a real person and not a machine) Canada: reggers@uwo.ca (used to be UWO.CDN) BITNET: reggers@uwovax.BITNET (for the ethnocentric) UUCP: reggers@julian.UUCP (...!watmath!julian..)