john@jwt.UUCP (John Temples) (05/05/91)
In article <1991May4.125515.8831@pegasus.com> richard@pegasus.com (Richard Foulk) writes: >I'll bet their termcrap database is some inscrutable binary format just >to keep mere mortals away. Yes, the "source" file is binary, and the compiled version is, um, "binarier". Is curses sufficiently broken on enough platforms supported by WP that they had to go and write their own? The biggest problem I see with the approach they took is that you have to use their terminal database editor to modify or create an entry. Since the editor is a screen-oriented application which uses their terminal database, you can't use it unless you have a functioning description of the terminal you're on... -- John W. Temples -- john@jwt.UUCP (uunet!jwt!john)
sef@kithrup.COM (Sean Eric Fagan) (05/06/91)
In article <P-D+!0G@jwt.UUCP> john@jwt.UUCP (John Temples) writes: >Is curses sufficiently broken on enough platforms supported by WP that >they had to go and write their own? It has been, at certain points in the past. Basicly, people ended up adding special fields to termcap, because it (and curses) didn't support them itself, and they would therefore have to have their own termcap file, ofttimes in its own special format (*sigh*). For example: there is no way in terminfo (as of yet) to differentiate between a normal function key and a shifted function key. Yes, there are cases where it is both possible and desirable to tell the difference (scancode terminals, for example). So, what do you do? All terminfo will tell you is what all of the function key strings are; quite often, at least some of those *will* be shifted/ctrld/alted/hypered/whatever function keys, but there is no way to tell. -- Sean Eric Fagan | "I made the universe, but please don't blame me for it; sef@kithrup.COM | I had a bellyache at the time." -----------------+ -- The Turtle (Stephen King, _It_) Any opinions expressed are my own, and generally unpopular with others.
neal@mnopltd.UUCP (05/08/91)
->Status: RO
->
->In article <1991May4.125515.8831@pegasus.com> richard@pegasus.com (Richard Foulk) writes:
->>I'll bet their termcrap database is some inscrutable binary format just
->>to keep mere mortals away.
->
->Yes, the "source" file is binary, and the compiled version is, um,
->"binarier".
->
->Is curses sufficiently broken on enough platforms supported by WP that
->they had to go and write their own?
->
->The biggest problem I see with the approach they took is that you have
->to use their terminal database editor to modify or create an entry.
->Since the editor is a screen-oriented application which uses their
->terminal database, you can't use it unless you have a functioning
->description of the terminal you're on...
While that does seem brain-dead, in practice you only have to get moderately
"close" in order to be able to use the utility. Like any ansi or Vtxxx is
good enough since they rely on few things like arrow keys.
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