Most of the above commentary describes the behaviour of the OS/2 version of the X2 Editor. In most cases, it applies equally well to all versions; however, there are differences between the versions which are driven by operating system differences or environmental limitations. This section outlines the main differences, using the OS/2 version as the reference point. Note that some commands are not supported in all versions; a summary of each command and its supported platforms can be found in Command Summary.
The Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems do not support file extended attributes, so the editor must use a different technique to remember file settings between edit sessions. The EA information is saved in a file called XEAINFO.DTA in the directory specified by the XPATH. This technique has the disadvantage that EA data is not transferred with a file when it is copied or moved to a different directory, or if it is renamed. Also, the XEAINFO.DTA file will continually grow larger as files are edited and then deleted from the system.
The Alt-Enter key is usurped by the operating system to toggle the DOS
window between a Windowed and FullScreen session, so it is not available to
the editor.
The main differences between the DOS version and the OS/2 version are the
lack of macro support and the memory management routines. The DOS version
does not support Rexx macros; therefore many of the commands that are only
useful from macros are undefined. These are outlined in
Command Summary.
The DOS file system does not support long filenames, nor extended
attributes. Therefore the editor's ability to remember file settings
such as cursor position does not apply to this version.
The DOS version is restricted to a 640K memory address space, which makes
it difficult to edit large files.
The PATHS profile option is not supported under
DOS.
The Unix versions are the only versions that run in a true windowed
session. As such, the screen size may be changed simply by re-sizing the
window with the mouse. Care must be taken with the Alt-F4 key, and also with the system
menu on the X-Windows screen. Either one can cause your editing session to
be terminated, without any warning about loss of data.
The Unix versions are the only versions to support the
xwindows_font profile variable to change the screen font, and the
x-colour profile setting to change the
X-Windows colour mappings.
The X-Windows versions are the only versions in which the editor draws the
cursor instead of using the system cursor. It is drawn with a line to
represent the Replace mode cursor, and as a box around the current character
when in Insert mode. These versions use the
xwindows_cursor
colour variable to draw the cursor.
The Linux version comes in two flavours: a curses based fullscreen version
that is primarily intended for emergency or quick use; and an X-Windows
version that provides a much nicer editing environment. It is
recommended that you use the X-Windows version whenever possible; the above
text describing
differences in the Unix X-Windows versions
applies equally well to the X-Windows version on Linux.
The Linux fullscreen version uses curses for screen and keyboard support.
The curses support is not ideal; many keystrokes are not supported, and only
eight colours are available. The curses version colours are mapped according
to the following table.
Differences in the DOS Version
Differences in the Unix X-Windows Versions
Differences in the Linux Curses Version
Profile Colour | Mapped Colour |
---|---|
Black | Black |
Blue | Blue |
Brown | Yellow |
Cyan | Cyan |
Dark Grey | Black |
Green | Green |
Light Blue | Blue |
Light Cyan | Cyan |
Light Green | Green |
Light Grey | White |
Light Magenta | Magenta |
Light Red | Red |
Magenta | Magenta |
Red | Red |
White | White |
Yellow | Yellow |
Many keystrokes are unrecognised or changed under the Linux curses version. These include:
Other changes in the Linux version include: