to job control or not to job control (was UNIX Futures)

[Larry Campbell]

> First, if the program isn't prepared to redisplay output anyway, no matter
> whether or not you have job control it's going to scroll off the screen
> anyway.  You don't gain much... 
> 	Wayne

It doesn't scroll off the screen if you go open another window to do
subsequent stuff.  Very often I get some useful output on a virtual
console, then switch to another virtual console to keep the useful
output around for a while.  Note that, apart from virtual consoles,
my Unix is a straight V7;  there isn't a single user-mode program
that knows about virtual consoles.  They all think they're on a VT100.

Note also that there is no requirement that windows be resizable.
If they are, programs should be able to find out about it;  but
a window system where all windows are 24x80 wouldn't be so bad,
and would work quite well with existing (unmodified) software.
-- 
Larry Campbell                                 The Boston Software Works, Inc.
ARPA: maynard.UUCP:campbell at harvard.ARPA       120 Fulton Street
UUCP: {harvard,cbosgd}!wjh12!maynard!campbell  Boston MA 02109