Re: HEADS UP: terminfo imported into -current

[Rhialto <rhialto%falu.nl@localhost>]

On Wed 03 Feb 2010 at 17:50:05 -0500, Thor Lancelot Simon wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 03, 2010 at 09:50:20PM +0000, Roy Marples wrote:
> > 
> > The same functionality of $TERMCAP can be had by managing your own database
> > of terminfo definitons via tic(1)
> 
> It's not the same functionality.  $TERMCAP works even if you can't write
> anywhere in the filesystem, and often works automatically when logged in
> remotely from a host which has a termcap entry your local host doesn't.

$TERMCAP is also used by tools like screen(1) and window(1) to provide a
tailored terminal definition. For instance, if I start window(1) inside
an xterm I can see that

TERMCAP=WW|window-v2|window program version 2:  :am:bs:da:db:ms:pt:cr=^M:nl=^J:b
l=^G:ta=^I:     :cm=\EY%+ %+ :le=^H:nd=\EC:up=\EA:do=\EB:ho=\EH:        :cd=\EJ:
ce=\EK:cl=\EE:me=\Er^?:co#80:li#37:se=\ErA:so=\EsA:mr=\EsA:ue=\ErD:us=\EsD:ae=\E
rH:as=\EsH:al=\EL:dl=\EM:im=\E@:ei=\EO:ic=:mi:dc=\EN:kb=^H:ku=^[OA:kd=^[OB:kl=^[
OD:kr=^[OC:kh=^[OH:

but if I run it on an ADM-3a terminal, it has

TERMCAP=WW|window-v2|window program version 2:  
:am:bs:da:db:ms:pt:cr=^M:nl=^J:bl=^G:ta=^I:00:cm=\EY%+ %+ 
:le=^H:nd=\EC:up=\EA:do=\EB:ho=\EH:0h:cd=\EJ:ce=\EK:cl=\EE:me=\Er^?:co#80:li#37:ku=^K:kd=^J:kl=^H:kr=^L:2

i.e. it adapts the capabilities it offers, depending on how "easy" they
are on real hardware.

Termcap is KISS from Berkeley. Terminfo is overly complex stuff from
AT&T. I never liked it.

-Olaf.
-- 
___ Olaf 'Rhialto' Seibert    -- You author it, and I'll reader it.
\X/ rhialto/at/xs4all.nl      -- Cetero censeo "authored" delendum esse.