VIRTUAL INTERACTION CONFIGURATION

The VIC is NOT a Scripting or Programming Language!

The VIC is a small shell and command set. It can allow one to combine and control the automation
vocabulary usage of programs, devices, function libraries, etc. that have a 3rd user interface (port).
It may be considered a common or central point of control over such vocabulary(s) as a General
Automation Tool. It can also be used for other things the small set of commands make possible.

Note: Vocabularies may include documentation, examples, usage in action and/or other
info/data/action, but in a form accessable to the user in the easy to access and use form of
what may be considered a dictionary(s).



There are NINE things we do in any and all things we do. (in the flavor of The Matrix characters)
Basic actors/actions of the VIC - Nine Commanders of the Nebuchadnezzar

AI (Alternate Interface) Switch
You start or begin things and stop or end things. In doing so, you change what you interface with.

PK (Place Keeper) Apoc
You need to know where you are in doing something, keep track of things, especially if you need to
set something aside, to do other things before you can go back to that something and continue.

OI (Obtain Input) Tank
You get things into a container to pass to other things (variables).

IP (InPut from) Mouse
You select where you are getting something from and what to get when you get things.

OP (OutPut to) Dozer
You select where you are moving/sending something to and what to send when you send things.

SF (do StufF) Neo
You do things a step at a time, even when your doing more than one thing at a time, each you do a
step at a time. And the things you do can be or include doing the nine VIC actions/commands.

IQ (Index Queue) Morpheus
You look up what things mean, and use the meanings to (SF) "do StufF".

ID (IDentify things) Trinity
Sometimes you need to know what something is before you know what to do. So you test things to
see what they are. Once you know what something is, you can (SF) "do StufF".

KE (Knowledge Enable) Cypher
When looking up or testing something (IQ and ID), you may only want a certain part of it. This "KE"
helps you narrow down what you want to look up (IQ) or test (ID). I.E. When you look up a word in a
dictionary, you limit your search to the section starting with the first letter of the Word.

The data/process/vicabulary format of the stuff done in and thru the VIC is text based (but not
limited to) and in a format that is easy to follow and understand. For the most part (but not
limited to) in the general form of a dictionary or any reference manual, code function chunk, etc.
There are other formats (all text based) used by the commands but this is what would be used most.
Comparing csh to the VIC:
=========================


To start, consider how you can start up csh in different ways. Consider
the start up options in csh. This is along the line of the VIC first
command AI (for starting up a VIC).

    Keep in mind using csh as an example to describe the VIC has it
limitations. The VIC has a versatility beyond csh and csh has many more
commands than the VIC. This posting is just a place for us to start.

    If you are familure with shells I'm going to assume you understand
redirection and tee. Well in the VIC, IP and OP are set to where you want
to receive and send data. OI is along the lines of the csh "input" command
and IP is where OI will get input from (IP is only used by OI).

    To get an idea of SF, start up csh with it's debugging on and watch as
it processes your input or a script. But in the VIC you have the ability to
control this processing in more ways and in a more direct way you can
change where it is in any file(s) it is processing. SF output is to the OP
setting.

    Now if you understand the csh "man" command, how it works, you have a
very basic idea as to how the VIC IQ command works. The comparision here
is that the "man" command is a search and output, but it outputs more than
a search, it outputs a definition (read the csh docs to see how you can
add your own definitions). Like I said, this is a very basic understanding
of the VIC IQ command. In the VIC the IQ search can go into sub
definitions and other files. Additionally the output of IQ can be
processed by/thru SF and output directed by OP.

    ID in the VIC, doesn't have anything easy to compare with in csh, but
the "class" and "action" can be used in a limited way to get the idea. ID
can do more than check if it's arguement is a file of a given type.
Checking for it's arguement being a file can be one of the things it
checks for but in determining what all it's arguement is, it can cause
action to be taken. Again this is a very basic start of what ID is.

    KE has no comparision in csh, but it allows one to apply additional
constraints on IQ and ID searches.


    PK also has no comparision in csh, but you might see it as the command
that changes the contents the PK file as well as the PK file used. The PK
file contains all relative information to the current state of a VIC,
includes the names of all files the other commands make use of.


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The Virtual Interaction Configuration is not an invention, but an
identification of that which must exist in doing anything. And then
converted into terms of shell application functionality. With an ease of
use being quite intuitive once the simple basics are recognized and
understood.



Email: 3seas@threeseas.net

Copyright © 1975, 1988, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003 Timothy V. Rue