>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>         VSHNU          <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  The New Visual Shell  <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

   Home Page:    http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/vshnu
   Screenshots:  http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/vshnu/shots.html

-----------------------------  MOTIVATION  -----------------------------

Skilled Unix users know the importance of the shell or command line
interface (CLI).  (Old-time Unix users didn't even have a choice
about it).  While having more of a learning curve than a graphical user
interface (GUI), it permits powerful, creative, complex operations to be
specified quickly and reliably.  For anyone but the superficial user,
learning a CLI is an investment that pays off rewardingly.  Command
line environments are still readily usable over low-bandwidth network
connections and restricted displays.  Neal Stephenson explains the history
and values of computer interfaces exceedingly well in "In the Beginning
was the Command Line" <http://www.cryptonomicon.com/beginning.html>.
One can even build a strong case that a CLI is best for a learning
new computer user, as described in "The Command Line - The Best Newbie
Interface?" <http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=6282>.

However, when one is concerned about file manipulation and management
(which is a very good thing to be concerned about as the basis of your
interface, as most GUIs would rather lead you to forget), a CLI can be a
frustratingly terse interface to the filesystem.  Too many tedious `ls`
and `cd` commands are needed to keep watch on what's there.  A GUI file
manager can address this problem, but then you're in mouseland and have
lost the advantages of the CLI.

Enter the visual shells.  Not a new idea, visual shells can operate within
an entire terminal or console screen.  File listings are displayed for
your constant reference.  Common commands and operations can typically be
performed in fewer keystrokes in a visual interface.  As the `vi` visual
editor evolved from the `ed` and `ex` command line editors, visual shells
have attempted to evolve from command line shells.  Some visual shells
have promoted themselves as simpler menu-oriented interfaces suitable
for novices, while others emphasize more expert functionality.

Nonetheless, visual shells have never really caught on, except some in
certain circles such as Emacs' "dired" mode and the Midnight Commander
program.  I believe this is because they have been designed as largely
self-contained applications with limited configurability.  Using a visual
shell has required a significant jump into a new base interface tool,
and few are so compelling or standard to make that worthwhile.

Hence the design of `vshnu`, the New Visual Shell.  In the Unix
tradition, it works with things already there and fills a empty niche.
When incorporating it into your Unix environment, you keep your command
line shell, your editor, your pager, and access to all your tools, tricks
and know-how.  Vshnu can operate as an optional supplemental visual mode
to your command line shell.  You switch between command line and visual
mode easily as you wish.  Your interface bandwidth and power for Unix
operations is on a higher plane and life gets sweeter.  In addition,
being written in Perl, it ports to any Unix system without compilation,
gives you the advantages of a Perl interpreter running readily at
hand, and permits visual command customizability limited only by your
creativity, yet doesn't require knowledge of Perl for normal usage.
Vshnu is a tool that's worthwhile even if only used occasionally as an
interactive, pageable, color `ls`, yet still pays back, with interest,
whatever more you put into using it.

------------------------  ADDITIONAL FEATURES  -------------------------

* Extensive options for sorting and listing a directory's files
* Multiple methods for navigating directories and selecting files
* Directory locations may be marked for quick returns
* Lists colored command outputs alongside files, including a builtin `ls -l`
  and `df`
* Directory and file histories
* In color terminals, uses color for more informative displays, including
  file coloring by type via the standard LS_COLORS environment variable
* Expands and collapses chosen subdirectories

o Multiple methods for choosing and operating on individual or arbitrary
  sets of files
o Key commands and file actions are 100% configurable, extensible, self-
  documenting and arbitrarily complex, including multiple choice options
o File actions are customizable by file name/type/contents/etc, with
  common actions configured by default
o Online help descriptions of key commands and file actions, by mode
  and by command
o Separate per-site and per-user configurability

* Adjustable file column displays
* Adapts to changing screen sizes (but works best on screens 80 characters
  wide or more)
* Current directory and environment is propogated between vshnu and
  the parent command line shell
* Multiple interfaces for shell commands and Perl statements
* Perl statements may be {{embedded}} within shell commands
* A Perl "where" clause to subset the displayed files

o Many actions available via the mouse in terminals with xterm(1)-like
  mouse support
o Can use mailcap(4) files for specifying file actions by MIME type
o Can use the CD_PATH environment variable as a search path for files
  and directories
o Recognizes the following standard environment variables:
  ANSI_COLORS_DISABLED, DISPLAY, EDITOR, HOME, HOST, LS_COLORS, MAIL,
  MAILCAPS, MAILER, PAGER, PATH, PERL_RL, SHELL, TERM and VISUAL

------------------------------  HISTORY  -------------------------------

Vshnu was inspired by and initially patterned after the program `vsh`,
the Visual Shell <http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/vshnu/vsh.txt>
<http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/vshnu/vsh-4.2k.tgz>.
Vsh was written in the early 1980's and is pretty much obsolete bit
rot now.  After failing to be included in a BSD distribution, it faded
into obscurity. A SunOS port hasn't compiled since the pre-Solaris days,
and an attempted Linux port is still horrendously buggy. But, it started
with some right ideas. I used vsh almost my entire Unix career before
finally writing vshnu to replace, extend and modernize it.

The "nu" in "vshnu" implies "new", of course, as well as invokes the
Hindu god Vishnu, the preserver of the universe and restorer of dharma
(moral order).  Hmmm, how appropriate.

----------------------------  INSTALLATION  ----------------------------

1)  PREREQUISITES

    You need Perl 5.002 or greater with the Term::Screen and
    Term::ANSIColor modules -- all available at <http://www.cpan.org>.
    Term::Screen and Term::ANSIColor module files are also included
    here in the libperl/Term directory.  If you wish to install these,
    just add a ".pm" extension to the filenames and copy them into a
    directory in your Perl's @INC or into $HOME/perl/Term, $HOME/lib/Term,
    or $HOME/lib/perl/Term.

    Term::Screen uses Term::Cap, so you'll need a termcap file containing
    your terminals' capabilities definitions.  Most systems already
    have one, but in case yours doesn't, a very complete termcap file is
    available at <http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/terminfo/termtypes.tc.gz>.
    A much briefer one containing only some common terminals is
    at <http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/home.html#etc/termcap>.
    The termcap file may be installed as $TERMCAP, $HOME/.termcap,
    /etc/termcap or /usr/share/misc/termcap.  Or on Debian systems,
    you can just run `apt-get termcap-compat`.

2)  OPTIONAL

    The Term::ReadLine::Gnu, or at least the Term::ReadLine::Perl, module
    is recommended to provide line editing, history, filename completion,
    and insertions (with M-v) within vshnu <http://www.cpan.org>.  Other
    modules that Perl can use, if installed, for particular features are
    Data::Dumper, Filesys::DiskFree, MIME::Types and Mail::Cap.

    If available, vshnu can make good use of color in a terminal or
    console with ANSI color support, and this is highly recommended.  For
    X Windows, the latest versions of `xterm` have proper color support
    <http://www.clark.net/pub/dickey/xterm/>.  Make sure your termcap
    information is properly defined for your color terminal.  You'll then
    also want the GNU fileutils software <ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/fetish/>
    which includes the `dircolors` tool for setting your LS_COLORS
    environment variable.  This variable is referenced by GNU `ls` and
    vshnu to determine how files should be colored by type and name.
    As an example, the file color specification file I use is available
    at <http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/home.html#etc/colorrc-ansi>.

    A terminal with xterm(1)-like mouse support will enable the use of
    vshnu's mouse functionality.

    The `xcb` utility will be required for the interfaces to the X11
    cut buffer to work <http://www.goof.com/pcg/marc/xcb.html>.

3)  INSTALLATION

    Vshnu may be installed either as a regular Perl module or manually
    in any desired locations, including your home directory.

    A)  AS A PERL MODULE

	The usual routine

		perl Makefile.PL
		make install clean

	should properly install the "vshnu" file in your Perl scripts
	directory and the "vshnucfg.pl" file in your Perl library
	directory.

    B)  MANUALLY

	You can edit the first line of the "vshnu" script here to contain
	the proper path to your perl executable, then copy it into any
	directory in your PATH.  Make sure the copy's made executable.

	Then the "vshnucfg.pl" file can be copied where you wish.  If it's
	not installed as $HOME/.vshnucfg or as vshnucfg.pl somewhere in
	your Perl's @INC or in $HOME/perl, $HOME/lib or $HOME/lib/perl,
	then you'll have to set the VSHNUCFG environment variable to its
	location, or edit the installed "vshnu" script near the top to
	set $default_vshnucfg.

4)  SHELL INTEGRATION

    Optionally, your regular shell environment can be enhanced to interact
    with vshnu as a sort of supplemental visual mode, communicating
    any environment changes to vshnu and directory changes between the
    two shells.

    See the subdirectory here for your command line shell for further
    direction.  Contributions of other shell integrations are very
    welcome.

5)  PERSONAL CONFIGURATION

    The installation procedure described above installs the main vshnu
    "engine" script and the supplied required configuration file.
    An entirely new configuration file could be written and substituted
    for the supplied one for a vshnu with a very different key command
    structure and operation (modeless perhaps).  Contributions of
    additions or improvements to the vshnucfg file are welcome.

    Usually, though, you'll just want to add on some personal extras or
    tweak a few things in the supplied configuration.  This can be done
    with a "vshnurc" Perl file.  It's loaded after the "vshnucfg" Perl
    file (installed above) and so can modify or supplement the effects
    of anything in it.  Both of these files are just Perl code that
    define operating structures for vshnu's environment.  The location
    of the vshnurc file is assumed to be $HOME/.vshnurc (or vshnurc.pl
    in Perl's @INC or in $HOME/perl, $HOME/lib or $HOME/lib/perl) unless
    the VSHNURC environment variable is set (or the $default_vshnurc
    variable is set in the vshnucfg file).  My personal vshnurc file
    is included here as "vshnurc.pl" as an example to start your own.
    Some familiarity with Perl will probably be required to do any
    significant work within these files.

    If the Mail::Cap, and perhaps MIME::Types, modules are available,
    vshnu's supplied configuration will use any mailcap(4) files it finds
    (in $MAILCAPS or $HOME/.mailcap, /etc/mailcap, /usr/etc/mailcap and
    /usr/local/etc/mailcap) for offered file actions for any file types
    it doesn't otherwise cover.  Also, it will recognize a vshnu-specific
    mailcap file (in $VSHNUCAP or $HOME/.vshnucap or the $default_vshnucap
    variable set in the vshnucfg file) for file actions to supersede
    its usual configuration.  For example, if you prefer xv(1) over
    display(1) for viewing image files, you may find adding this line
    to your vshnucap file simpler than changing your vshnurc file:

	image/*; xv %s; dontneedterminal

-------------------------------  USAGE  --------------------------------

This is the minimum you'll want to know to make some good use of vshunu
with the supplied configuration:

    Upon starting vshnu, you should see a listing of the files in your
    current directory.  You can enter a subdirectory by typing the
    letter that labels it.  Typing the label letter of a file will load
    that file into your editor.  You can go up to the parent directory
    with <Return> or back to the previous directory with '\'.  With '.'
    you can enter a file or directory to go to.  <Tab> and <Backspace>
    (or <Delete>) will slide the labels (aka the "bag") around to the
    other files on the screen.  <Space> will page to the next screenful of
    files in the current directory.  Typing 'L' repeatedly will display
    the long listings of the files in the bag's column (<Control-L> will
    clear the long listings).  ':' will let you run a shell command.
    'V' will suspend vshnu, dropping you back into the invoking shell.
    <Control-Q>q (or <Control-Z>q) will exit vshnu.

    With the mouse, you can left-click on a subdirectory name to enter
    it, or on a filename to load it into your editor.  Center-click on
    the background to go up to the parent directory, or right-click
    there to go back to the previous directory.  Use the mouse scroll
    wheel on the background to page to other screenfuls of files in
    the current directory, or on the time to display the long listings
    (right-clicking on the time will clear the long listings).

Of course, there's much, much more possible.  Type '%' within each mode
of vshnu to see all the key commands available and what they'll do.
Type '&' to see what file actions will be performed upon selecting files
in the current file action mode.  Type <Control-N> followed by a key to
see what would happen with that key command.  Type '^' to see all the
available mouse commands.

Here's a summary of the modes in the supplied configuration, with the
keys to enter and exit each mode:

MODE	KEY	KEY COMMAND MODES
~~~~	~~~	~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
main		The starting mode and most commonly used.
choose	/	Selected files are added to the set of chosen files.
		Main mode commands are available here, too, though a few
		change meaning.  Additional key commands are available
		that operate on the chosen file set.
opts	O	Sets and unsets various options for sorting and listing
		the display.  Type '%' in opts mode for a complete
		options list.  This mode exits automatically after an
		option key is selected.


MODE	KEY	FILE ACTION MODES
~~~~	~~~	~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
edit		The starting mode where files are editted and directories
		are entered.
do	?	Special action is taken depending on the nature of the
		file selected, eg, GIF files are viewed, archive files
		have their contents listed, etc.
expand	"	Selected directories are expanded in the file listing,
		or collapsed if they're already expanded.

------------------------- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES -------------------------

* The latest developer's version of the vshnu source files are available

	http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/home/binp/vshnu
	http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/home/etc/vshnucfg
	http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/home/etc/vshnurc

* A web forum and mailing list for discussion, support and announcements
  regarding vshnu is available at

	http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vshnu

* An introductory article on using vshnu was published in the
  November 2005 issue of Linux Magazine (US version) in Jerry
  Peek's Power Tools column, pages 12-17.  It's available online at
  <http://www.linux-mag.com/content/view/2332>.  There's also a bit
  in Hebrew online at <http://linmagazine.co.il/book/view/8177>.

* CaFe.pm <http://cafe.pm.org/>, a Perl Mongers group in Argentina, has
  published an interview by Víctor A Rodríguez with Steve Kinzler about
  vshnu in their April 2006 bulletin, issue 1.0. It's available online at
  <http://cafe.pm.org/boletines/Issue.v1.0.pdf>, with the original English
  version at <http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/vshnu/perlitas.html>.

* A Japanese review and showcase of vshnu was published in the September
  2001 issue of Linux Magazine <http://www.ascii.co.jp/linuxmag/>,
  pages 124-125.

---------------------------  GPL COPYRIGHT  ----------------------------

vshnu: the New Visual Shell
Copyright (C) 1999 Stephen B Kinzler

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or any
later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License
for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program (see the file "COPYING"); if not, write to the
Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston,
MA 02111-1307 USA

---------------------  SOFTWARE BY STEVE KINZLER  ----------------------

Unix Home Dir	http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/home.html
		Many scripts and config files for Unix/X11 environments
align		http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/align
		A text column alignment filter
vshnu		http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/vshnu
		A visual shell and CLI shell supplement
webrowse	http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/webrowse
		Tools to interface web browsers to the Unix user CLI
xtitle		http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/xtitle
		Set window title and icon name for an X11 terminal window
z		http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler/z
		A convenience frontend for tar, gzip, zip, etc

========================================================================

Steve Kinzler <kinzler@cs.indiana.edu>			   November 2000
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~kinzler		    revised January 2008

Your feedback is welcome!
