[comp.lang.c] Help with CURSES!

grasmann@atps.dec.com (Aspirations of a higher nature) (10/03/89)

Hello to the Ether (and all with ears to hear)!

I have been foiled again:  CURSES!

I thought it was aptly named, especially after it stung me more than once.  I
am a novice to C, and the only UNIX I knew were talked about in the Bible.

Having worked with TURBO C now (my only C, except for transporting code to VAX
C) for a year and a half (on a Zenith laptop TurbosPort (what else?)) I keep on
running into calls to CURSES, and I have no idea what it is.  Well, I do, but
the knowledge is almost useless.  I end up HACKING out what I think the call
should do, and then things almost work - sort of like a clock-spring with a
bandage.

So, could anyone enlighten me?  I suspect that CURSES might be copyrighted or
something by a Berserk layman, since I can't seem to find anything of much
relevance...

Basically, are there any look-alike routines around somewhere?  How about a
detailed explanation of all the calls, so one might more accurately hack out a
substitute?

I need to include working code into some programs I have acquired, and the
authors seem to have assumed that everyone would have CURSES.  Well, I do, but
not *that* kind.

Thanks for any help!


Steve Grasmann	grasmann@atps.dec.com

dgaulden@dcscg1.UUCP (David E. Gaulden) (10/05/89)

In article <1507@hiatus.dec.com> grasmann@atps.dec.com (Aspirations of a higher nature) writes:
>I have been foiled again:  CURSES!

>I thought it was aptly named, especially after it stung me more than once.  I
>am a novice to C, and the only UNIX I knew were talked about in the Bible.

>So, could anyone enlighten me?  I suspect that CURSES might be copyrighted or
>something by a Berserk layman, since I can't seem to find anything of much
>relevance...

>I need to include working code into some programs I have acquired, and the
>authors seem to have assumed that everyone would have CURSES.  Well, I do, but
>not *that* kind.

O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. are creators and publishers of Nutshell Handbooks   located at 632 Petaluma Ave. Sebastopol, CA. 95472/800-338-NUTS outside of CA
and 800-533-NUTS inside CA. EMail: UUCP: uunet!ora!nuts  ARPA: nuts@ora.uu.net

They publish a handbook (71 pgs.) called Programming With Curses that should
give you a better understanding of curses. BTW price is nominal; $8.95.

They also publish other titles of interest such as:

"Using C on the UNIX System"
"Checking C Programs with lint"
"Understanding and Using COFF"
"Managing Projects with make"
-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
 IRL:Dave Gaulden                    |     "Man who says, 'It cannot be done', 
     DCSC Columbus, Ohio             |      Should not interrupt man who is    
     dgaulden@dcsc.dla.mil           |      doing it."                         

johnny@edvvie.at (Johann Schweigl) (10/08/89)

From article <1507@hiatus.dec.com>, by grasmann@atps.dec.com (Aspirations of a higher nature):
> 
> So, could anyone enlighten me?  I suspect that CURSES might be copyrighted or

CURSES is a screen handling package, living in the UNIX world for quite a time.
It is part of the UNIX distribution of most vendors, BSDish or AT&T.
Try to get your hand on any UNIX Programmer's reference and look for 
curses(3X) or the like.
There is also a number of books on curses in the computer bookstores. 
If you browse through some Computer Language or Dr.Dobbs journals, you
can also find ads for DOS-based curses, emulating their UNIX counterpart.
Won't have to write all yourself ...
-- 
This does not reflect the   | Johann  Schweigl | DOS?
opinions of my employer.    | johnny@edvvie.at | Kind of complicated
I am busy enough by talking |                  | bootstrap loader ...
about my own ...            |   EDVG  Vienna   |