[Info-vax] Screen management in C

[Chris Townley]

On 30/12/2024 01:08, Dave Froble wrote:
> 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?

Not that we got a chance, but I don't think it would have - especially 
on a 12 X 21 character display!

-- 
Chris