Re: Termcap functions in MintLibs?

[Simon Kagedal <simon@sdf.luth.se>]

Hello!

On Sat, 23 Sep 1995, Frank Bartels wrote:

> [why not sent to the list?]

Sorry. Was meant to the list, but I did wrong. I'm sending this one to
the list instead. :)
 
> You, Simon Kagedal wrote:
> 
> > What's so wrong with terminfo? Just wondering, I don't know too much
> > about it, just that it has each terminfo in a separate file and that it's
> > some kind of "compiled" format.
> 
> It simply uses _another_ terminal capability database. We used termcap
> and not terminfo for years now and it does not make sense to always
> have to keep both databases in sync.

Well, you've got a point...
 
> > But there is a -DUSE_TERMCAP or something even in the newer ncurses, even
> > though they say it's not too reliable.
> 
> Really is? That would be great. Running lynx with this version of
> ncurses would be fine.

Yep, this is what the README says:

"In older (V7/BSD) versions of curses, the database was a flat text file,
/etc/termcap; in newer (USG/USL) versions, the database is a hierarchy of
fast-loading binary description blocks under /usr/lib/terminfo.  These binary
blocks are compiled from an improved editable text representation called
`terminfo' format (documented in man/terminfo.5).  The ncurses library 
can use
either /etc/termcap or the compiled binary terminfo blocks, but prefers the
second form.


<--snap-->

If the package was built with the
--with-termcap option enabled, and the ncurses library can't find a terminfo
description for your terminal, it will fall back to the termcap file supplied
with your system (which the ncurses package installation leaves strictly
alone)."


MvH,
  simon@sdf.luth.se (primary)
  ska1203@skelleftea.se