BRIEF

Description

A multi-platform programmers editor that was for a time in the mid and late 80's more or less a standard in the DOS world, originally developed by UnderWare Corp and later taken over by Borland. BRIEF is supposed to stand for "Basic Reconfigurable Interactive Editing Facility" although many contend that is and retronym.

Version

• Latest version:
• Version 3.1, while not the first version that runs under OS/2, was the first version that was not just a straight DOS port and supported features such as HPFS long file names and OS/2 specific commands and features in the macro language.

Language Support

• English - Built in.

Syntax highlighting

Screenshot from Boxer 7.5c

Built in

Syntax highlighting, automatic indenting, statement completion (template editing), compiler support (compiling from within the editor) and automatic error location for Ada, Basic, C, C++, CBRIEF, Cobol, FORTRAN, Modula-2, Pascal and xBase. Syntax highlighting support for most programming, batch and scripting languages available in the early 90's.

Macro support

• BRIEF has a keyboard recording and macro editing capabilities, keyboard macros can be edited and used on their own or used in the programmable macro modes.
• It also had a "action macro" system, that was basically the same as the keyboard macros but used internal commands and could do some things that the keyboard system could not including build custom controls.
• The LISP like macro language of versions 1 and 2 of BRIEF was still supported.
• CBRIEF is a C like macro language that was introduced in version 3 by popular request, the original remained the main macro language of the package. By versions 3.1 and higher CBRIEF has become the main macro and the software can convert LISP like macros to CBRIEF macros
• REXX is not supported.

Keyboard mappings

• Built in: WordStar and a number of common mini and mainframe editor emulations.
• You can add your own.

License

• Commercial - Discontinued

Links

• BRIEF for DOS and OS/2 Version 3.1 Users Guide - 1992

Author

• UnderWare
• Borland