Unicode text editor mined 2000 release 10

[mined at towo dot net]

                             ANNOUNCEMENT

                         mined 2000 release 10
                             (January 2005)

Mined is a powerful text editor with a comprehensive and easy-to-use 
user interface and fast, small-footprint behaviour.

It was the first editor that provided Unicode support in a 
plain-text terminal.
It now has both extensive Unicode and CJK support offering many 
specific features and covering special cases that other editors 
are not aware of (like auto-detection features and automatic handling 
of terminal variations, or Han character information).
And basically, it is an editor tailored to efficient editing 
of plain text documents and programs, with features and interactive 
behaviour designed for this purpose.


Mined is now co-hosted at sourceforge and has a mailing list 
which can be subscribed at
<https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mined-editor>


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Major new features in this release:

Character encoding, CJK, and input support enhancements

*	Printing feature revamped; now working with all encodings.
*	Updated character properties to Unicode 4.0.1:
	case conversion, character-to-script mapping, screen width 
	(continuing to work with older width data versions by terminal 
	auto-detection), keyboard mappings for CJK input methods 
	(esp. updated Cangjie keyboard mapping table accordingly).
*	Added support for major mapped 8 bit character encodings.
*	Added transparent handling of UTF-16 encoded files (with BOM).
*	Full support for combining characters in CJK encodings 
	and 8 bit encodings, including optional separated display mode 
	and partial editing (within combined character).

*	Added Han character information (description / pronunciation) 
	while browsing text or input method pick lists.
*	Enhanced character information conforming to ISO 14755.

*	Added keyboard mapping features and added important 
	input methods to the default configuration as part of 
	the distribution.
*	Additional input support for CJK, Vietnamese, Thai, Hebrew.
*	Added radical/stroke lookup input method for CJK characters, 
	especially useful for not CJK speaking users.
*	Revamped mnemonic input support; completed mnemonic patterns 
	and enhanced documentation.
*	Enhanced numeric character input support; conforming to 
	ISO 14755.

Interactive enhancements

*	Revamped menu control; added subtitles and flag markers 
	(showing active options); enabled menu navigation by item letters 
	or mouse wheel movement.

Runtime environment enhancements

*	Enhanced interoperability with various terminals; enhanced 
	detection and handling of available menu border styles as well 
	as screen attributes used for scrollbar and special character 
	display for a wide range of terminals.
*	Providing runtime support library with X configuration patterns 
	and terminal startup scripts.

Portability enhancements

*	Revamped makefiles; enhanced portability and compilation 
	on legacy systems.
*	Enhanced makefiles to provide more installation options; 
	fixed default target directories for a wider range of target 
	systems.


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Mined Overview

Good interactive features
* Intuitive user interface
* Logical and consistent concept of navigating and editing text 
  (without ancient line-end handling limitations or insert/append confusion)
* Supports various control styles:
  Editing with command control, function key control, or menu control
  Navigation by cursor keys, control keys, mouse or scrollbar
* Comprehensive menus (driven by keyboard or mouse)
* "HOP" key paradigm doubles the number of navigation functions 
  that can be most easily reached and remembered by 
  intuitively amplifying the associated function
* Immediate adjustment if the window size is changed, in any 
  state of interaction

Versatile character encoding support
* Extensive Unicode support, including double-width and combining characters,
  script highlighting, 
  various methods of character input support 
  (mapped keyboard input methods, mnemonic and numeric input),
  supporting CJK, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Arabic, and other scripts
* Support of bidirectional terminals, Arabic ligature joining
* East Asian character set support: handling of major CJK encodings 
  (including GB18030 and full EUC-JP with combining characters) 
  in either Unicode terminal or CJK terminal
* Support for a variety of 8 bit encodings (mapped to Unicode) 
  (with combining characters for Vietnamese and Thai)
* Support of CJK input methods by enhanced keyboard 
  mapping including multiple choice mappings (handled by a pick list menu);
  characters in the pick list being sorted by relevance of Unicode ranges
* Han character information with description and pronunciation
* Auto-detection of text character encoding, edits files with 
  mixed character encoding sections (e.g. mailboxes),
  transparent handling of UTF-16 encoded files
* Auto-detection of UTF-8 / CJK terminal mode and detailed features
  (like different Unicode width and combining data versions)
* Encoding support tested with:
  xterm, mlterm, hanterm, cxterm, rxvt, linux console

Many useful text editing capabilities
* Many text editing features, e.g. paragraph wrapping, 
  auto-indentation and back-tab, 
  smart quotes (with quotation marks style selection and auto-detection) 
  and smart dashes
* Search and replacement patterns can have multiple lines
* Cross-session paste buffer (copy/paste between multiple 
  - even subsequent or remote - invocations of mined)
* Marker stack for quick return to previous text positions
* Multiple paste buffers (emacs-style)
* Program editing features, HTML support and syntax highlighting, 
  identifier and function definition search, also across files; 
  structure input support
* Text and program layout features; auto-indentation and 
  undent function (back-tab), numbered item justification
* Systematic text and file handling safety, avoiding loss of data
* Visible indications of special text contents 
  (TAB characters, different line-end types, character 
  codes that cannot be displayed in the current mode)
* Full binary transparent editing with visible indications 
  (illegal UTF-8 or CJK, mixed line end types, NUL characters, ...)
* Print function that works in all text encodings
* Optional emacs command mode

Small-footprint operation and portability
* Plain text mode (terminal) operation, supporting wide range of terminals
* Instant start-up
* Runs on many platforms: Unix (Linux/Sun/HP/BSD/Mac and more),
  DOS (djgpp), Windows (cygwin)
* Makefiles also support legacy systems


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More information (with screenshots, feature overview and change log) 
and download are available from the mined web site at
	http://towo.net/mined/


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Thomas Wolff
mined at towo dot net