NotaBene DOS 3 question

[wbass@xxxxxxxx]

I've been looking back at NB 3.0 for DOS (exe dated 5/25/90), and I'm
wondering if anybody here can answer a few question I have about it.

1. Most of the additional function that differentiates NB from XyWrite of
the same period seems to be implemented as XPL code. Yet, NB says that
they got a customized EDITOR.EXE file from from XyQuest (which they call
NB.EXE).

Does anyone know the nature of the customization that was actually
required by NB in the EDITOR.EXE module, to implement the various things
that NB wanted to do? I'm just looking for rough descriptions, such,
perhaps, as an enhanced printing engine, or things of that type.

I think I know of one thing. Much of the XPL distributed with Notabene is
hashed in some way, so as to "protect" in some way NB's "exclusive" XPL
code from user inspection. I think that that was moderately insane and
customer unfriendly (for no real reason), and it vastly diminished the
customizability of NB, but they did it nonetheless. But, the capability to
unhash XPL modules before executing them had to be (and was) built into
the NB.EXE engine. But there had to be more than that -- NB.EXE is 187,792
bytes, whereas EDITOR.EXE (v3.57, 7/9/91 ) is only 182,882 bytes.

2. If you toss most of the NB XPL stuff, how useable is the version 3.0
NB.EXE module (5/25/90), in lieu of, say, a v3.55 version or of
EDITOR.EXE? Would it be able to run the XPL distributed with XyWrite, and
other XyWrite 3+ XPL that is floating around the net, without alteration?
How about XyWrite help files? XyWrite's ala'carte stuff? Does NB.EXE 3.0
have the XS "parsing" operator?

3. NB.EXE DOS 3.0 has "textbase" functionality. Is this in anyway
integrated into the NB.EXE module. If so how?

I'm sure I have more questions, but I can't think of them right now.
Comments appreciated.

Wally Bass