CoreUtils and WimpSlot

The CoreUtils !Boot file creates an alias for each command it supports.
For example for the ls command:-

Set Alias$ls WimpSlot -min 399k|MRun <CoreUtils$Dir>.ls %%*0

This causes a problem for the StrongMen “show variables function”.
For Alias$ls it shows up to the |M ie

Alias$ls WimpSlot -min 399k

I will follow this up with Fred, but in the meantime I have removed all the WimpSlot settings
from the Aliases in CoreUtils !Boot. The Utils commands still appear to work, but I wonder if
there may be trouble ahead. All of the WimpSlots were less than the 640k default.

Thanks John.

I’ve installed CoreUtils and seen the problem. When the alias is set the |M is converted to ASCII code 0×0D. StrongMen reads the alias and places the result in a menu item. The Wimp however treats the 0×0D as a terminator and doesn’t show any text that comes after it.

The fix would be for StrongMen to translate 0×0D back to |M before putting the value into a menu item. That shouldn’t be too hard to do, just might a while before I get round to it.

I really cant see the point of the WimpSlot commands in the aliases unless they were aimed at the RISC OS 2 days.

These days I tend to have a large WimpSlot, so starting small apps/utilities etc in a big slot seems wrong. So although in the past a WimpSlot setting was included to increase the slot from default, today it can also reduce the value.

Since reading this:
‘Next’ WimpSlot – optimum size?
I am happy to go with the relatively small default 640k and trust the OS to add more if needed.

I’ve installed CoreUtils

@Fred – if you are going to keep CoreUtils installed I recommend commenting out the echo command.

|Set Alias$echo Run <CoreUtils$Dir>.echo %%*0

Some RISC OS obey files use “echo” and will stop working if it changes.
The CoreUtils devs have already removed Cat and Dir for this reason.
I should get round to reporting the “echo” problem.

The WimpSlot command in the alias is enforcing a minimum which is fair enough if running something that is likely to need more than a user might configure like gcc, but specifying less than default value isn’t that useful apart from for perhaps very Scottish users.

While using WimpSlot to reduce the amount of memory allocated for an application is fine as it is run in a separate process, reducing the amount of memory in a command/taskwindow is very antisocial as you don’t know what is going to be run next, and other command line programs wont usually adjust the wimp slot themselves.

apart from for perhaps very Scottish users.

?

?

alleged characteristic of Scottish national stereotype

Oh, so we need less memory to get stuff done.

Says a lot for the English, then, dunnit?

Says a lot for the English, then, dunnit?

I’d like to point out at this juncture that, as became evident with Brexit, among other instances, the oiks with low tolerance for people recently entering the UK were only “English” by a generation or so; and from my family perspective¹ were very much “incomers” of recent times.

¹ Genealogy stuff, I discovered that contrary to my original belief the fan out of my ancestors is rather short of non-English representatives.

Apparently, after years of not being allowed to (including the Brexit referrendum), I’m going to be permitted to vote in UK elections again. Yay!

Yup, just sent in my registration.

Though, to be honest, by now it’s not so much exercising a vote as basic damage limitation…