[Info-vax] Screen management in C

[Dave Froble]

On 12/27/2024 8:10 PM, Chris Townley wrote:
> On 28/12/2024 00:32, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 12/27/2024 3:54 PM, Single Stage to Orbit wrote:
>>> On Fri, 2024-12-27 at 14:34 -0500, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>>>> This has been discussed previously here:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.vms/c/ufBEqvGdglU
>>>>>
>>>>> That discussion has pointers to various examples,
>>>>
>>>> In general VMS Pascal/VMS Basic code should be maybe 25% shorter
>>>> than equivalent C code. But with a descriptor centric API like
>>>> SMG$ then it may be more like 40% shorter.
>>>>
>>>> One could make a nice wrapper in C++ encapsulating the context
>>>> and convert between stl::string / C char array and descriptors.
>>>>
>>>> But then a full screen VT UI is a concept that has been obsolete
>>>> for 30 years, so maybe there is little point.
>>>
>>> People are still writing apps using the console.
>>
>> There is still a need to write command line tools. Mostly
>> for system administrators and developers, but still there.
>>
>> But full screen VT UI applications? I doubt many of those
>> get written today. Whether custom code using SMG$ or one
>> of TDMS/FMS/DECForms. The end users expectations for UI
>> has changed. GUI or Web.
>>
>> Arne
>>
> In the mid naughties I used SMG to provide a better UI for HHTs on the shop
> floor - using a terminal emulator on the HHTs
>
> Far better than the earlier implementation.
>
> This was in Basic, where I wrote a couple of functions to front end it, then
> called the SMG routines.
>
> Went down well on the shop floor
>

And let me guess, a WEENDOZE GUI might not work so well on the shop floor?

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
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