E (PC-DOS)
Encyclopedia
E is the text editor
which was made part of PC DOS
with version 6.1 in June 1993, and later with version 7 and PC DOS 2000. In version 6.1, IBM dropped QBASIC
, which, in its edit mode, was also the system text editor. It was necessary to provide some sort of editor, so IBM chose to adapt and substantially extend its OS/2 System Editor (1986), a minimally functional member of the E family of Editors. The DOS
version is extended with a wide array of functions that are usually associated with more functional versions of the E editor family (see below). In version 7, IBM added the REXX
language to DOS, restoring programmability to the basic box. IBM
also provided E with OS/2
.
E for PC DOS consists of five files:
Since no tool was provided for building other profiles besides the supplied
For PC DOS owners who have moved on to other operating systems, E can be run with the use of a DOS emulator (e.g. DOSBox
) or with DOS virtualization
software (e.g. DOSEMU
or NTVDM). E runs quite successfully under the Windows NT 32-bit DOS prompt, for example.
Limitations in Personal Editor led to the development and release in 1984 of the E editor, a much faster editor that supported very long files and included a substantially enhanced user interface. E2, released in 1985, provided enhanced programmability using a REXX
-like language. Its UI programmability was designed so flexibly that it was used to develop user interface prototypes for other kinds of software, including Word Processors and Survey software. Subsequent versions, including E3, EOS2, and EPM, provided a wide range of other enhancements. The OS/2 System Editor was developed by the E programming team at the request of the OS/2 Development team. It was designed to be a fast and highly functional text editor with a minimal number of features and no configurability. EPM was later released as the OS/2 Enhanced Editor. The popular SlickEdit
shares a common heritage, having been written by the original developer of E3. Other versions of E family editors have been released with IBM programming products. There are several acknowledged E editor family clones, including X2, which both reproduces the Rexx-like EI programming language used in E2 and later versions of E and acknowledges its debt in its documentation.E2
Text editor
A text editor is a type of program used for editing plain text files.Text editors are often provided with operating systems or software development packages, and can be used to change configuration files and programming language source code....
which was made part of PC DOS
PC-DOS
IBM PC DOS is a DOS system for the IBM Personal Computer and compatibles, manufactured and sold by IBM from the 1980s to the 2000s....
with version 6.1 in June 1993, and later with version 7 and PC DOS 2000. In version 6.1, IBM dropped QBASIC
QBasic
QBasic is an IDE and interpreter for a variant of the BASIC programming language which is based on QuickBASIC. Code entered into the IDE is compiled to an intermediate form, and this intermediate form is immediately interpreted on demand within the IDE. It can run under nearly all versions of DOS...
, which, in its edit mode, was also the system text editor. It was necessary to provide some sort of editor, so IBM chose to adapt and substantially extend its OS/2 System Editor (1986), a minimally functional member of the E family of Editors. The DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
version is extended with a wide array of functions that are usually associated with more functional versions of the E editor family (see below). In version 7, IBM added the REXX
REXX
REXX is an interpreted programming language that was developed at IBM. It is a structured high-level programming language that was designed to be both easy to learn and easy to read...
language to DOS, restoring programmability to the basic box. IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
also provided E with OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
.
Features
The features include (for PC DOS 7):- online help
- edit large text files
- draw boxes around text
- mouse and menu support
- record and play keystroke macros
- change case within a marked area
- access multiple files in multiple panes
- syntax-directed editing of CC (programming language)C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
and REXXREXXREXX is an interpreted programming language that was developed at IBM. It is a structured high-level programming language that was designed to be both easy to learn and easy to read... - add and multiply numbers in a marked area
- locate and make a change globally within a file
- select text and move, copy, overlay, or delete it
- copy and move text from one file into another file
E for PC DOS consists of five files:
-
E.EXE-- the executable program itself, (v3.13 in PC DOS 7) -
E.EX-- pre-compiled profile for E's behavior -
E.INI-- text file allowing modification of a fewE.EXdefaults (Not in v 3.12 (dos 6)) -
EHELP.HLP-- text file used for E's F1 key help in Browse (read-only) mode -
BROWSE.COM-- loads a file into E in read-only mode. (Not in v 3.12 (dos 6))
Since no tool was provided for building other profiles besides the supplied
E.EX, PC DOS users have limited access to the full extensibility offered by the version 3 of E (e3) available to IBM programmers themselves. Still, it is a powerful implementation, with many features supporting the needs of general programmers.For PC DOS owners who have moved on to other operating systems, E can be run with the use of a DOS emulator (e.g. DOSBox
DOSBox
DOSBox is emulator software that emulates an IBM PC compatible computer running MS-DOS. It is intended especially for use with old PC games. DOSBox is free software....
) or with DOS virtualization
Cross-platform virtualization
Cross-platform virtualization is a form of computer virtualization that allows software compiled for a specific CPU and operating system to run unmodified on computers with different CPUs and/or operating systems, through a combination of dynamic binary translation and operating system call...
software (e.g. DOSEMU
DOSEMU
DOSEMU, alternatively rendered dosemu, is a compatibility layer software package that enables MS-DOS systems, DOS clones such as FreeDOS, and DOS software to run under Linux on x86-based PCs ....
or NTVDM). E runs quite successfully under the Windows NT 32-bit DOS prompt, for example.
E family
The history of the PC DOS version of E begins with Personal Editor, a key configurable editor that enabled limited programming using a GML-like language. Personal Editor was initially released in 1982 and became an IBM product not long after.Limitations in Personal Editor led to the development and release in 1984 of the E editor, a much faster editor that supported very long files and included a substantially enhanced user interface. E2, released in 1985, provided enhanced programmability using a REXX
REXX
REXX is an interpreted programming language that was developed at IBM. It is a structured high-level programming language that was designed to be both easy to learn and easy to read...
-like language. Its UI programmability was designed so flexibly that it was used to develop user interface prototypes for other kinds of software, including Word Processors and Survey software. Subsequent versions, including E3, EOS2, and EPM, provided a wide range of other enhancements. The OS/2 System Editor was developed by the E programming team at the request of the OS/2 Development team. It was designed to be a fast and highly functional text editor with a minimal number of features and no configurability. EPM was later released as the OS/2 Enhanced Editor. The popular SlickEdit
SlickEdit
SlickEdit, previously known as Visual SlickEdit, is a cross-platform commercial source code editor by SlickEdit, Inc. SlickEdit provides syntax highlighting, code navigation and customizable keyboard shortcuts. Versions from 2007 and later also support programmable code...
shares a common heritage, having been written by the original developer of E3. Other versions of E family editors have been released with IBM programming products. There are several acknowledged E editor family clones, including X2, which both reproduces the Rexx-like EI programming language used in E2 and later versions of E and acknowledges its debt in its documentation.E2