UNIX Futures

[Davidsen]

In article <1307 at homxb.UUCP> gemini at homxb.UUCP (Rick Richardson) writes:
>> 
>> Job control is pretty neat, if all you have is a dumb terminal.  But an
>> even better solution is virtual consoles, or windows.  ...
................ deletion ................
>
>Let me point out the "poor man's window system" which comes with VENIX SVR2.
>They used a slight hack to the console driver on an IBM PC; it allows four
>FULL SCREEN login sessions on a CGA, plus one more if you also have the
>monochrome adapter attached.  Potentially, an EGA adapter could have
>eight such login sessions.  You switch sessions by pressing Alt-1 through
>Alt-4 for the CGA, and Alt-5 for the monochrome.

XENIX-286 for the AT (and I believe the XT version as well) offers ten
virtual terminals using the same method. A limited number of them will
be made active by default, and the user may either make special use of
them or change configuration to start all of them for login. Since I
don't need ten logins (four are nice, tho), I do some special things
when I login to my "personal" id.

For taking notes on phone calls and drop-in visitors is start a shell
in window 9 which is already running in the correct directory and which
has a modified prompt (to remind me where I am). In addition, I have a
command which will start an additional shell in window ten if I want it.

The advantage to me is that when I log out I don't have to log out in
several places. I can still use the other five virtual terminals to
login again if I'm doing something unusual. The commands which start
the note taker are:
 (PS1="(note) $ ";cd $HOME/notes;sh -s) </dev/tty09 >/dev/tty09 2>&1 &
-- 
	-bill davidsen

	seismo!rochester!steinmetz!--\
       /                               \
ihnp4!              unirot ------------->---> crdos1!davidsen
       \                               /
        chinet! ---------------------/        (davidsen at ge-crd.ARPA)

"It seemed like a good idea at the time..."