Subject: sam confused, Q: arrow keys

From: Joerg Wittenberger <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 29 May 1995 11:43:55 -0400

Hello,

I got sam a couple of days ago. I guess it's a nice thing. But I ran
into two problems with it:

1) sometimes I end up in a situation when the whole editing menu
(second mouse key) is displayed with parens around the topics and none
of the commands typed into the ~sam~ window has any effect. I neither
understand how I get into this situation nor how to escape from. All I
can do is to terminate sam. Any help?

2) The arrow keys: I'm sitting in front of an AIX. When I try to move
the cursor using the arrow keys they seem to have all the effect of
page up/down. I can't move character or line wise. How can I get an
usable key binding?

3) On different point (unrelated to sam): I attempt to compile 9term
for the AIX, but I failed. I had to change some code to open a pty (as
usual with AIX everything is a little different) into a mix of the two
kinds already in the file pty.c. After doing so I ended up with an
executable which opened a window. But the shell was obviewsly started
on a complete different pty!! (After some tries starting and killing
the 9term, I was left with a window where a couple of shells shared
ONE pty. Fancy.) Any idea where to look? Did someone succed to compile
9term for the AIX (version 3)?

One more Q: what I really can't understand: I promise that I got a
executable one day. Since this day I can't link it any more. (Well, I
changed something and didn't keep track of.) Whenever I try to link it
now I end up with:

        cc  -o 9term 9term.o command.o display.o pty.o ../libtext/libtext.a ../l
ibframe/libframe.a ../libXg/libXg.a -lXt -lX11 -lm 
0706-317 ERROR: Unresolved or undefined symbols detected:
                 Symbols in error (followed by references) are
                 dumped to the load map.
                 The -bloadmap:<filename> option will create a load map.
.XrmGetDatabase

But I don't know where the XrmGetDatabase could come from (nor how it
could ever have been resolved).

Thanks
/Jerry

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 09:29:53 -0400

> can do is to terminate sam. Any help?

This means that sam is trying to process a command and hasn't finished.  The
fact that you are stuck there is bad.

> page up/down. I can't move character or line wise. How can I get an

You should first understand how sam was designed.  The idea is that you use
the keyboard for entering text, and the mouse for control.  You are supposed
to use the mouse to move the cursor, not the keyboard.

Having said that, you can get the samx patches for sam, which give you 
arrow keys like you expect, the ability to define macros, and autoindent.
I use the package mainly for autoindent (I would have quit using sam without
it), but the arrow keys are handy too.  BTW, I don't know offhand where to
get the samx patches, but others do.

> 9term for the AIX (version 3)?

I have a mostly working 9term for AIX 3.2.5.  I had to rewrite the pty logic.
It works mostly.  The things that need work are the special keys like 
INTR and job-control, and it dies occasionally.  I can send it to you if you
want to tinker more.  I don't use 9term much, so I haven't gotten around to
finishing it.

Beirne

---

From: [email-masked] (Arnold D. Robbins)
Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 10:00:00 -0400

> can do is to terminate sam. Any help?

This is called a "protocol lock". There is a protocol between samterm,
which controls the display you interact with, and sam, which actually does
the editing. Occasionally, they get out of sync and there's nothing you
can do.

This usually happens to me after I've used the page-up or page-down keys and
then started typing before samterm has finished updating the screen. I can
usually switch to the sam window and send a 'w' and 'q' and then start a
new session.

Unfortunately, the Bell Labs guys can't seem to reproduce it... Sigh.

Arnold Robbins -- The Basement Computer		| Laundry increases
Internet: [email-masked]		| exponentially in the
UUCP:	emory!skeeve!arnold			| number of children.
Bitnet:	Forget it. Get on a real network.	|    -- Miriam Robbins