MINCE
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Text editing software |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Mark of the Unicorn |
Area served | CP/M, GEMDOS (Atari ST), VAX/VMS, RSX-11, Unix platforms |
| Products | MINCE text editor, SCRIBBLE text formatter |
| Website | https://github.com/portable-mince |
MINCE is a text editor initially developed for 8080-based microcomputers operating under the CP/M operating system. Subsequent releases expanded compatibility to include GEMDOS on the Atari ST, as well as VAX/VMS, RSX-11, and several Unix platforms.
Created using BDS C by Mark of the Unicorn, MINCE was distributed alongside machines from manufacturers such as Kaypro, Morrow Designs, and the Epson QX-10. Its name, an acronym for "MINCE Is Not Complete Emacs," highlights its status as a streamlined version of Emacs, tailored to function within the 64kB memory constraints typical of 8-bit computer systems.
Employing a gap buffer structure, MINCE efficiently operated within a 48kB memory footprint by implementing a virtual memory mechanism that supported multiple buffers. The maximum file size was restricted only by available disk storage.
MINCE was commonly paired with SCRIBBLE, a text formatting tool inspired by the Scribe system, exemplifying the prevalent editor-plus-formatter architecture found in sophisticated word processing software of that period.
Although not released as open source, MOTU provided partial source code intended to facilitate product enhancement.
In 1981, the "Amethyst" software package was offered for $350 (approximately $1000 in 2014 dollars), bundling MINCE, SCRIBBLE, their source code, and the BDS C compiler. A version excluding the compiler was priced at $250, while the standalone MINCE and SCRIBBLE package cost $175. By 1984, MINCE maintained a price point of $175, equating to about $433 in 2019 currency.
The development of MINCE and SCRIBBLE eventually led to the creation of the word processors Perfect Writer and FinalWord, with FinalWord subsequently evolving into Sprint.
An open source initiative named Portable MINCE allows the original CP/M-80 edition to run on contemporary hardware, featuring additional enhancements and comprehensive documentation.
External links
- Portable MINCE – GitHub.com
- The Unicorn Fable – Scrounge.org
- The Craft of Text Editing – Finseth.com (archived)
- TextEditors Wiki: Mince – Texteditors.org
- Mince & Z-100 – Retroarchive.org
- The Ohio State University Newsgroup Query – Retroarchive.org