On Wed, 25 Oct 2000, Manuel Bouyer wrote:

# > Hello, I have just installed NetBSD 1.4.2 on a SparcStation 5. I have
# > gotten most necessary functions working great although I have some minor
# > issues I could use some help with.
# > 1. The console is black on white and I would like to change this to
# > white on black. Also the console is always getting filled with 'garbage'

The best I've been able to do is to use "echo ESC[q" as the very first
line in /etc/rc, or to put that line into the /.profile file.

cg6 by itself is much faster than it is when you put "options RASTERCONSOLE"
into the kernel config and rebuild (that and the colormap for the console
is still wrong at this stage of the game).

# > generally after editing a file or using less etc. 'garbage' is spewed
# > all over the console and I constantly am having to use clear to make it
# > readable again.
# 
# 'setenv TERM sun-ss5'. $TERM is set to sun by default, but SS5 have a firmware
# bug which requires a different termcap.

This should be renamed to sun-cg6, as the same garbage happens on an
SS2/GX, IPX, LX, etc., but yes, sun-ss5 will work.  The SS5 has nothing
to do with the bug -- it's the framebuffer.

# > 2. I made a swap partition during the install but it does not activate
# > on bootup.
# 
# Edit /etc/fstab and add a line like:
# /dev/sd0b none swap sw

Don't forget the "0 0" at the end (I think the fstab format requires them).

# > 3. I am also using the C shell which I am assuming is default. Does this
# > support command line history? How do I activate it?
# 
# No command line history in csh. You can install tcsh from the package
# collection.

Do you mean 'in-place-editable command line history'?  Then yes, tcsh is
your best bet.  Otherwise, read the manual on csh, especially the section
on history substitution.

It's a good idea to take the time to become very intimate with your shell
of choice for interaction.  It's also a good idea to remember that just
because your shell of choice is good for interaction doesn't mean that
it is equally good for scripting :-) (in particular, csh's signal
handling is...surprising.)

# Manuel Bouyer, LIP6, Universite Paris VI.           Manuel.Bouyer@lip6.fr

				--*greywolf;
--
*BSD: It's not Windows.