Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site pegasus.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!drutx!mtuxo!pegasus!naiman From: naiman@pegasus.UUCP (Ephrayim J. Naiman) Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: re: curses Message-ID: <2399@pegasus.UUCP> Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 17:48:37 EDT Article-I.D.: pegasus.2399 Posted: Wed Jun 26 17:48:37 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 06:40:31 EDT Organization: AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft NJ Lines: 37 In-Reply-To: your article <571@umd5.UUCP>> I posted flames on the same point. Curses does not support input translation. > Instead, there is a terminal-independant input language for each of the Unix > screen editors. While this setup may have some merit (once you learn it you > can use any available terminal) I have a Pascal screen editor that I run on > Univac 1100 and IBM 370 systems that I would like to also support Unix. This > screen editor operates by catching the keystrokes and updating an incore image > of the current screen. Thus, it MUST know what each keystroke is doing to the > screen... I don't understand. The curses I have does getch's fine, it even interprets function keys and allows you to turn off echo so that only your application echoes what it wants to. > For example, when you are in column one, what does a left arrow do? On many > terminals it does nothing, on many more it goes to column 80 of the previous > line, on some it goes to column 80 of the SAME line. What does an up arrow > do on line one? Unix finesses all these questions by refusing to echo the > character in these situations. On mainframes without smart echo, one does not > have that handy copout. Thus, in addition to the simple question of what code > does each key generate, these little quirks must all be represented in the > database. > > One additional example. On many terminals, when you do an insert-line > operation, the cursor is left wherever it was. But, on the Heathkit, the > cursor is returned to column one! If you REALLY want to see some brain- > damage, look at the insert mode on the Datamedia 2000/3000 line. Almost all these capabilities are defined in my terminfo. If you'd like to discuss give me a call. -- ==> Ephrayim J. Naiman @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6259 Paths: [ihnp4, allegra, mtuxo, maxvax, cbosgd, lzmi, ...]!pegasus!naiman