Sudden View

What is Sudden View?

Sudden View is a radical alternative to the standard approach for editing text.

It promotes Copy, Cut, Paste and Move to Directly Manipulated mouse control, allowing you to move text around the screen in a visually live fashion.

Sudden View produces the effect of sliding magnetic letters on a refrigerator, except without resistance.

With practice, Sudden View takes the process of editing beyond “command / response ” to create a continuous “ feel ” for the text.

Sudden View is the first tool for the ART of editing text.

Press Quotes

Still confused? I'll let someone else describe Sudden View. The following press quotes are from the first release of Sudden View in 1992.

• "Sudden View was incredible. It was like a paint program that used text instead of colors." - Dana Jacobson

• "This program has to be seen to be believed... for a fast and flexible editor, there is nothing in its class." - Brian Gockley

• "Ditch everything you know about word processing and text editors before you sit down with Sudden View. It's, well, shocking. Words fail to accurately describe it." - John Nagy

• "There was only really one super standout new software product, an amazing text editor... it is unlike any text editor you have ever seen." - Nevin Shalit

• "My hat's off in awe, and respect for your conceptualizing and actualization. You've so far out-stripped the current meaning of the phrase "text editor" that from now on, one will have to have two entirely distinct concepts in mind when one hears it." - Mark Jones

• "The program is really unlike any other text editor anywhere! It's fast and it's LIVE!" - Doug W.

This quote's a bit more recent...

• "It's refreshing, like a walk in the park after you've been in a basement for too long." - Jason Scott – ASCII 12-14-05

Well, there you have it. When I find some better descriptions, I'll post them here. Until then, you'll just have to download the program and give it a try.

Unique Features

Variant Block Selection - Sudden View allows you to select several different type of blocks, each with their own features. A Sentence block can be moved through a word-wrapped paragraph on a multi-column line, but a line block selects the entire width of the document. A Literal selection can slice a column vertically, and a character block will move anywhere. Variant Block Selection enhances the effectiveness of Dynamic Arrangement.

Dynamic Arrangement - Sudden View allows you to drag text around the screen in a visually animated fashion using the mouse or arrow keys. Select a block with a left mouse drag and then also move it with a left mouse drag.

Instant Abstraction - Sudden View goes beyond outline or file folding to progressively shrink detail in a visually animated fashion, leaving the higher level concepts visible for navigation or conceptualizing.

View Bar - In place of the scroll bar is a reduced image of the entire file. It allow for very fast navigation of known structures.

Power Menu - This allows the user to visually select from a keyboard menu without having to learn shortcut or hot keys.

Direct Scrolling - With Sudden View you can drag the contents of the entire screen for navigation.

Virtual Zoom - Sudden View provides font scaling in a visually animated fashion.

Implicit Formatting - With Sudden View, the text IS the format. There are no explicit margin bars. Just define a format with text and copy it as often as you like.

There are many other features in Sudden View. Download a copy for a complete evaluation.

FAQs

What are the requirements?
Sudden View runs under any 32-bit Windows environment with a minimum of VGA display. This includes Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

Why so retro?
Sudden View's not retro, it's archaic. If it looks like something from out of the 80s, that's because it is. I began coding Sudden View in 1989 and began using it in 1990. It's first commercial release was in 1992 and it hasn't changed much since then. I did the Windows port in 1996 and added the ViewBar in 1999. It's been in limited or general release since 1990.

Does the world really need yet another text editor?
I think so, mostly because Sudden View is NOT just another text editor. As a frustrated writer (one who hasn't been published), I've continued to review editing tools over the years. Since I've never found anything that allows me to manipulate text as quickly and effectively as Sudden View I've continued to use it personally. Plus friends and colleagues continue to ask for downloads. I figured since I've done the work I might as well make it available to the public. YOU decide if it's really needed or not.

Why the funky font?
In order to visually manipulate vertical text blocks a mono-spaced font is required. Besides, Sudden View is about content, not presentation. The focus is steak over sizzle.

How do you print from Sudden View?
You don't. Consider it my contribution to the paperless office. See the manual for more detail (this may change soon).

Why doesn't Sudden View work like other Windows editors?
Because if it did, it would be just another Windows editor. Sudden View is a way to explore an alternative approach to editing text.

Is Sudden View free?
Yes, sort of. Sudden View is unlimited shareware. It can evaluated indefinitely. The download file is not limited in time or features, but it DOES ask you to register every now and then.

Getting Started

• Download the Zipped file(264 Kbytes)

• Self-extract SuddenViewZip.exe

• Run SuddenView.exe

First download the zipped Sudden View (SuddenViewZip.exe) file noting the directory where it is saved. Next self-extract SuddenViewZip.exe by double clicking on it.

This will produce two files in a directory called Sudden Inc. Double click SuddenView.exe (or drag it to your Start Bar and then activate it) and it will self-install opening the Text1.ROM file containing the e-manual.

Follow the directions on the screen to begin exploration of Sudden View. Take your time, there's lots of subtlety in Instant Abstraction, Variant Block Selection and Dynamic Arrangement.

In time you will encounter the Activation Dialog. If not, you can invoke it using the "File Menu / Misc Menu / About Sudden View" menu. This dialog displays your unique System Profile and copies it to the Windows Clipboard so you can return here and paste it below when you are ready to Register your copy of Sudden View.

Registering

• Run Sudden View
• Select the "File Menu / Misc Menu / About Sudden View" menu
• Register your System Profile here
• Install the Activation Code in Sudden View

To register Sudden View first run the program. Next, Left Click the "File Menu / Misc Menu / About Sudden View" menu or wait for the registration dialog to pop up on it's own. Your unique System Profile will automatically be generated and saved in the Windows Clipboard. Switch back to this screen and use Control V to paste your unique System Profile into the form below. Finally, click on the PayPal button and follow the payment directions. When payment is verified an email will be sent containing your activation code. Return to Sudden View and load it into the “About Sudden View” dialog.

The Activation Code is only valid for a specific CPU and only until you make significant changes to the hardware or operating system. If you buy a new computer, install a new version of Windows or otherwise reinitialize the Registry, you will need to buy another Activation Code. If you make no changes to your system the Activation Code will remain effective indefinitely.

E-mail support is only provided to registered users at registered email accounts.

Activation Code - $9.95 per system

Specifications

• Requirements: Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, or XP (Three button mouse preferred)

• Open file windows: 4

• Active files: 16

• Maximum file size: 1 Gbyte?, I have edited 50 Mbyte files.

Revs & Bugs

The following bugs were fixed in release 602 :

ROM Bug - Text1.ROM saved when it's not supposed to be, or produces Windows error code 132. 11-11-05 Thanks Antony

Move 1 Word - Make "Cursor Word Move" land on spaces like it did before editing mode change 12-09-05

Buffer Crash - "Show Paste Buffer" then hold down "Last Paragraph" key till exception crash 11-25-05 Thanks Lee

Missing Mouse Cursor - Open file using the keyboard does not restore the mouse cursor. 11-11-05 Thanks Chesa

About Bug - "About" dialog does not display properly. 12-10-05

These are issues currently under investigation. They may or may not have a better resolution in the near future.

Font Death - Know interaction with higher settings on hardware acceleration of some video cards. Bug causes View Bar to jump and only partially display during scrolls. More importantly, this bug will crash the GDI if you Zoom or Abstract so that the two smallest fonts are visible. Fix - Set hardware acceleration to lower settings for now.

Font Residue - Sudden View's fonts (SV1x2.fnt through SV22x42.fnt) are left in C:\Windows\Temp directory. Windows NT gets very asynchronously unhappy if I try to delete them during exit code. Fix - Leave them there, or delete them after exiting Sudden View. It doesn't matter much.

Windows Alt Key Functions - Some Windows Alt key functions are not supported in Sudden View. They conflict with Sudden View's Alt key invert editing action feature.

Old Arrow Keys - The un-NumLocked IBM-XT numeric key pad assignments are not supported. These are issues currently under investigation. Interestingly, they each involve fonts. They may or may not have a better resolution in the near future.

If you have find other bugs, please e-mail support@sudden.net

Sudden Policy

Unlimited Shareware - Sudden View is distributed as unlimited shareware with no features disabled and no time limit for evaluation, but it WILL periodically interrupt you and ask you to register.

Refunds - We provide a fully functional program for unlimited evaluation so that you can become completely comfortable before you purchase. There are no refunds for Sudden View. Be sure before you buy.

Contact - If you have other questions, please call 775-624-2710
or e-mail sales@sudden.net or rodzq@yahoo.com or write to Sudden Incorporated, 905 1/2 Juniper Hill Rd, Reno, NV 89509.