[comp.sys.dec] Ultrix termcap problems

fox@DASHER.NSCL.MSU.EDU (01/09/91)

Software: Ultrix 4.0
Engine:  Decstation-5000
Problem: Under some circumstances, it seems like the termcap for vt100's is
	incorrect:

1)  The first problem arose when using a vt-100 compatible to contact a
    the 5000 via LAT inside the building (9600 baud or 19200 baud)... the
    cursor keys didn't work in vi and other editors.  This turned out to
    be because some of the entries in the distributed /etc/termcap were written
    assuming vt100's were in cursor-position-mode... which was not initialized
    in the initialization sequence.  I changed the appropriate vt100 termcap
    entries to indicate that ^ v < and > were really sending <esc>[ sorts
    of sequences, and changed the workstation entry to supercede the inherited
    vt100 cursor key sequences with the cursor-position-mode sequences, since
    this seems to be the default initialized state of DECterm windows.

2) At this time the local terminal server dial ups worked and everything seemed
   nice, until I went home and logged in via a 1200baud modem.  At NSCL,
   modem's go into a terminal server, so the connection mechanism should seem
   the same as with local connections, with the exception that my modem was
   running at 1200 baud, not 9600 baud.  The software I was using was VTKERMIT
   which does a very nice emulation of a Vt100 terminal... nice enough that
   everything works when logging in to VMS systems.  Once I did this, the
   arrow keys refused to work in vi.  Pressing <esc>[A *slowly* worked, and
   capturing the keystrokes sent by the arrow keys revealed that they were in
   fact sending <esc>[ sequences.  In addition, vi only used 1/2 of the 
   screen instead of the full screen.

3) In both cases, similar problems were observed with GNU-Emacs as well.

Can anyone help me here?

	Thanks,
	Ron

Ron Fox                     | FOX@MSUNSCL.BITNET      | Where the name 
NSCL                        | FOX@CYCVAX.NSCL.MSU.EDU | goes on before
Michigan State University   | MSUHEP::CYCVAX::FOX     | the quality
East Lansing, MI 48824-1321 |                         | goes in.
USA