Instructions on using emacs in text-only mode Emacs can run either in graphical or in text-only mode. When you telnet into husun3 from a windows (or machintosh) system, you can only use emacs in text-only mode. This means you can not use the mouse for any purpose, and there is also no toolbar. If you really don't want to use emacs, you may create a text file with some editor or word processor, and then ftp the file to your unix account (see instructions on ftp below). Telnet: From a Microsoft Windows machine, click on Start, then Run, then type in "telnet". When the telnet window comes up, open a connection to husun3.hofstra.edu. Log in to your account, and proceed as usual (tcsh, source useqt, etc... ). To start emacs in text mode type xemacs -nw filename where filename is the name of the file you want to edit. If the file does not exist, it will be created. Here are the basic commands: "CTRL-" stands for the Control key. Use arrow keys to navigate. CTRL-g : reset (use this when things go beserk) CTRL-a : move cursor to begining of line CTRL-e : move cursor to end of line CTRL-v : move down a page ESC-v : move up a page ESC-< : go to beginning of file ESC-> : go to end of file CTRL-d : deletes character (the one the cursor is over) CTRL-k : deletes a line CTRL-y : "yanks" out the lines you just deleted (This feature can also be used to copy and paste) CTRL-s : search for a word CTRL-xs (hold down CONTROL key and type "xs") : this saves your file ESC-x "goto-l" : brings up a prompt for a line number to go to. CTRL-xh : brings up a command summary. (use CTRL-x1 to get rid of it) CTRL-xc : quits emacs (pay attention to messages at bottom) WARNING: depending on certain factors, the backspace character can not be used to delete. If this is the case use the delete (del) key instead. One thing to keep in mind is that, unlike word processors, you should not keep typing when you get to the end of a line. Type carriage returns manually. When things go nuts, type CTRL-g, and if this still does not work, quit emacs. You'll be prompted to save all unsaved buffers, so you won't lose any work. This is just the basics. There are many other commands. I'll try to mention some while I'm writing programs in class. When you've created the program, you can compile it using the same procedures as in the lab. You can also run any standard C++ program - those that don't use graphics. But you can not run any program created with "qtcompile". (Qt is available for Windows, but it costs $1500 per copy). To log out (after quiting emacs) type exit (may need to do it more than once). Alternatives: There are some alternatives to using text-mode emacs if you want to work at home. Other editors: there are other editors that can work in text mode. One is "joe" - but I've decided to let you experiment with that. FTP: you can type in your program using some native windows editor such as notepad, then ftp it to your account. From the MS DOS command prompt, type "ftp husun3.hofstra.edu". log in using your username and password. The commands cd, ls, and pwd can be used to navigate to you where you want to store the file. Before transfering files, type "ascii". This is important. Type send filename to send a file to your account, and get filename to download a file from your account to your windows machine. Type quit to end the ftp session. WARNING: make sure your file is saved in text mode, and make sure that windows doesn't attach some suffix (".txt") to your file without you knowing about it (Windows like to do that). X-Win32: There are software that allows you to use remote unix systems in graphical mode. But these are difficult to use and really not fast enough if you connect to the internet through a modem. Linux: This is the best option, but is for advanced users. Linux is a Unix operating systems that works on ordinary PCs. You can set up a Linux system so you can use your account almost exactly as you would use it in the lab. But don't get into Linux until you've had more experience using Unix at school.