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faq

The NEdit mailing lists are quite active, and as is usual in any project, there are questions that are asked again and again. Therefore it is worth it to discuss a few of them here.

Why is NEdit based on that old and boring Motif, and not on Qt, Gtk, or a similar 'modern' toolkit? Simply because at this time Motif is the only stable and well developed toolkit available for all flavours of UNIX that support a graphical interface. This is also the reason why applications like Netscape (upto version 4) and Acrobat Reader are based on Motif. Besides, NEdit doesn't use a standard Motif text widget, and it would be an arduous task to port the application to another toolkit.

Why can't I open more than one file in the same split window? NEdit was designed to manage one file per window, partly because it makes it clear what text is affected by an operation. It is possible to simulate the operation of an MDI (multiple document interface) with a decent window manager.

Why doesn't NEdit have a toolbar with little icons on it? Most NEdit developers shudder at the thought of this, and do not intend to dedicate any time to it. Having said that, NEdit is Open Source, and nobody will stop you from implementing it yourself.

How do I get NEdit to recognize my wheel mouse? In the same way you got it to work in Netscape. Make sure your X configuration supports the mouse, and place a number of X resources in your .Xdefaults or .Xresources that translate the signals generated by the wheel to text navigation commands. These will be built into the binary at the next release.

Every time I use <ctrl>-s to save something, I get <dc3> inserted in my text. Is this a bug in NEdit? This is an old Motif problem. Turn off num-lock, caps-lock, and/or scroll-lock, and everything will work correctly. A workaround can be expected in the next release.

NEdit at large

There are a few ways in which NEdit is present on the web. Firstly, there is the web site, that provides access to everything related to NEdit, such as the source code and binaries, but also syntax highlighting patterns, macros, documentation, and mail archives. There also is an ftp site, from which all downloads are available. The European ftp mirror just `happens' to be located in The Netherlands. For development a project is hosted at Sourceforge, from where `bleeding edge' source code is available through CVS. CVS snapshots are placed on the ftp sites on a daily basis.

There are three mailing lists available that pertain to NEdit. The first is discuss at nedit.org, where questions can be asked and the working of NEdit can be discussed. Then there is develop at nedit.org, where the developers can be reached. Since most of them also subscribe to the discussion list, there is no need for cross posting. Both lists only allow members to post, so first subscribe through the web site or majordomo. Lastly, there also is a list announce at nedit.org, on which only sporadic announcements are posted.

NEdit is bundled with most recent Linux distributions, usually linked to Lesstif. Those who prefer a binary linked to a stable commercial Motif, or are looking for binaries for a different platform, can visit the ftp sites. rpm's and deb's can also be found there. At the time of this writing the new release, NEdit 5.2, is being finalized.

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