# Non-display ASCII text (again)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-display-ascii-text-again/442740>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 25, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-display-ascii-text-again/442740 "2008-03-25T23:04:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-display-ascii-text-again/442740/21 "2008-03-27T08:36:12Z")

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[QUOTE=tomndebb]  
See if you can talk your boss into buying a copy of SPF/2. Even one seat in a shop can be pretty useful when you’re up against it. All the ISPF functions are available. (Macros are now written in C or C# rather than REXX.)

I once saw a guy go to the SPF/2 web site and download a trial copy (did not permit edit, just browse) to identify a problerm similar to yours. I do not know whether they still allow folks to do that.

PC and UNIX editors always seem to be twenty or thirty years behind ISPF.  
[/QUOTE]  
Wow, there’s a case of YMMV.

For me, SPF/2 was always joke compared to PC and Unix text editors. I used to cringe every time I was condemned to using it. I just downloaded a demo of SPF/SE 6.0, and it’s still a joke. Unless you have a compelling need to edit a file natively in EBCIDIC on a PC, I can’t imagine wanting to use it for anything other than torture.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-display-ascii-text-again/442740/22 "2008-03-27T12:35:10Z")

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[QUOTE=tomndebb]  
See if you can talk your boss into buying a copy of SPF/2.  
[/QUOTE]

We’re a non-profit, and we tend to make-do with what we have. The office chairs are worn out and have become torture devices, the vacation policy is 20 years behind the times, and we’re understaffed. But I like the work! 🙂

As it is, I’ve written some stuff that greatly reduces the number of records that need to be hand-edited. (The only problem is that nobody has the time or desire to learn how to run Easytrieve – let write them.)

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