[gnu.bash.bug] problem with line updates on Sun

williams@cs.umass.edu (01/18/90)

Well, I just started using bash 1.04 on our Suns.  There seems to
be a problem with the line being updated when scrolling though the
history list or when editing a line.  The part of the line after
the cursor is not being cleared and/or updated properly.  A ^L
always produces the corrected line.  Sometimes the recalled line
is dropped on top of the prompt instead of after it.

I tried the patch to readline posted by Per Bothner but it didn't
solve the problem.  It might have improved things somewhat - it's
hard to tell.

If I use a vt100 on the same systems, bash works fine.  It only
messes up on the console.  Wait a sec.... just did another test -
the problem only exists when running Sunviews, not when running
on the console outside Sunview.  Maybe that helps to pin it down.

Has anyone else seen/reported this?  Is there a patch or workaround
(besides hitting ^L constantly 8-) )?

Sun OS 4.0.3 on both a Sun 3 and a Sun 4 was used.

Thanks for any help!
Leo Pinard    c/o    williams@cs.umass.edu or leo@aai.uu.net

williams@cs.umass.edu (01/21/90)

In article <8725@dime.cs.umass.edu>, williams@cs.umass.edu writes...
>Well, I just started using bash 1.04 on our Suns.  There seems to
>be a problem with the line being updated when scrolling though the
>history list or when editing a line.  The part of the line after
>the cursor is not being cleared and/or updated properly.  A ^L
>always produces the corrected line.  Sometimes the recalled line
>is dropped on top of the prompt instead of after it.
> 
+From: John Robinson <jr@BBN.COM>
+
+Sounds like maybe the termcap entry (for a hardware Sun console)
+doesn't match sunview's emulation of same.  To check, maybe try to
+remove capabilities from this description until the problem stops.
+bash (readline) shuold be pretty happy with a fairly dumb terminal
+descriptor.
+
+From what I know so far, this sounds like a sunview bug!
+
+From: eirik@elf.TN.Cornell.EDU
+
+Try using shelltool instead of cmdtool; I found that the command line
+editor works in the former but not the latter.  One apparent
+difference between the two is that only cmdtool has a scrollbar.  I
+guess there are differences in the emulation as well.  The default
+sunview configuration puts its shell in a cmdtool, so I'd guess that's
+what you are using.
+
+If this helps, it might be good to post a followup that mentions it as
+a workaround; I am sending this only to you.  I suspect that getting
+the command line editor to work right in a cmdtool would involve
+fixing a termcap; I doubt this is a bug in bash.

As the gentlemen above have pointed out, it seems to be termcap problem.
Screen is updating done properly in shelltool, but not in command tool.

Shelltool has TERM=sun and no TERMCAP.

Cmdtool has TERM=sun-cmd and TERMCAP=sun-cmd:te=\E[>4h:ti=\E[>4l:tc=sun:

The entry for sun-cmd in /etc/termcap is :te=\E[>4h:ti=\E[>4l:tc=sun:
The comment for this entry is "Sun Microsystems Workstation console with
scrollable history".

If I change TERM to sun and unset TERMCAP when in the command tool window, the
updating is still not done correctly.

Is the cause of this problem obvious to anyone?  Is there another workaround
then using shelltool - being able to scroll back and look at output is a handy feature!

Thanks!
Leo Pinard  c/o  williams@cs.umass.edu  leo@aai.uu.net  uunet!aai!leo