dan@srs.UUCP (Dan Kegel) (08/21/86)
Request for Comments / Beta Test sites for an MS-DOS ANSI console driver
A new version (2.4) of nansi.sys is ready to go; however, before I release it
to the net, I would like
(1) volunteers who can beta test it quickly
(2) comments on the escape sequence assignments I made up for the functions
i. set write-only-during-retrace (avoids 'snow' on CGA)
ii. cursor on/off
iii. 43, 50 line mode
If there exist better assignments for these functions than I have made,
now is the time to tell me.
Daniel Kegel
...{seismo!}rochster!srs!dan
Here is a part of the documentation for the driver:
nansi - enhanced MS-DOS ansi console driver
SYNOPSIS
Include in \config.sys the line
device=nansi.sys
DESCRIPTION
Nansi.sys is a console driver which understands ANSI control sequences.
It emulates ANSI.SYS (the driver supplied with DOS), except:
1. It supports new escape sequences, including
insert and delete line, character
set scrolling region (splits screen on a horizontal line)
2. It provides MUCH faster output under certain conditions.
3. It supports EGA 43-line mode and ATT 6300 50-line mode.
4. The darned bell is now 1/4 second instead of 1/2 second long.
New Arguments to Set Mode (ESC[=#h) and Reset Mode (ESC[=#l)
Mode Code Set Reset
7 *Wrap at end of line No wrap at EOL
43 43 Lines on EGA *25 Lines
| 44 Wait for retrace *No wait
| 45 *Graphics Cursor No simulated graphics cursor
| 50 50 Lines on ATT 6300 *25 Lines
[ * = default ]
43 or 50 line modes
If you have an EGA video board or an ATT 6300 computer, your video
system can display more than the usual 25 lines of text.
To select 43 line mode on an EGA board, send the string
ESC[=43h
To select 50 line mode on an ATT computer, send the string
ESC[=50h
Screen Snow
If your screen flares up with annoying little white bars ("snow"),
you probably should tell Nansi to wait for retrace before writing
to the screen, by sending the string
ESC[=44h
This doesn't clear up the snow under all conditions, but it helps
quite a bit. Unfortunately, it also slows down output somewhat.
Little Dead Blobs
If you are using a graphics mode, and the cursor leaves little
dead blobs behind when it moves, you are probably using a program
which bypasses DOS (naughty, naughty). It might help to tell
Nansi to turn off its graphics cursor by sending the string
ESC[=45l
(The last character in that string is a lowercase "L".)
Faster Output
Any program that
1) uses Nansi.sys,
2) sets the console to RAW mode (with IOCTL), and
3) buffers its output (C programmers: use setbuf),
can achieve EXTREMELY high screen update speeds in return
for giving up the special functions of the keys ^C, ^S, and ^P
(which many programs, editors for example, don't want anyway).
See IOCTL in the MS-DOS 3.x Technical Reference for more info.