Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!gwyn
From: gwyn@brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: net.info-terms
Subject: Re: wishful thinking dept.
Message-ID: <3016@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 8-Nov-85 00:22:28 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.3016
Posted: Fri Nov  8 00:22:28 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Nov-85 06:13:44 EST
References: <292@cisden.UUCP> <2686@brl-tgr.ARPA> <293@cisden.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
Lines: 17

> > > 	...looked for an entry in ~.termcap before running off to
> > > 	   /etc/termcap?
> > 
> > The TERMCAP environment variable, while not accomplishing
> > precisely the same action, is intended for this sort of
> > thing.
> > 
> Yes, except that it useless when, after TERMCAP gets properly set, you
> need to execute tset (or reset) to get your terminal back after an
> accidental insanity. The reset strings in the published termcaps are often
> too "weak" to correct things, but I can't get to my own...

I don't understand this.  Setting TERMCAP=$HOME/.termcap
will substitute your own termcap file for /etc/termcap.
Perhaps you were thinking that $TERMCAP could only contain
the actual terminal description?  If it starts with a `/'
it is assumed to be the pathname of a file..