Re: [MiNT] toswin2 vt100

["Brian J. Roland" <bjr@localink4.com>]

> what exactly is not emulated in vt100 by current TosWin's tw100?
>
> Petr

Some scrolling capabilities of vt100 do not work properly in tw100.
I don't know enough about specific terminal emulation protocols and
terminology to say 'exactly' what it is, but I can give you an example.

Some programs like to split the screen in half, I.E. a type ahead buffer as
the last three lines, the read area above that.  tw can not scroll each
region independently.  Some software is able to 'roll' and replace the top
line rather than 'scroll' each half of screen and still work, but there are
still some problems even with software that can make such amends.  Also some
programs that like to keep a 'status' line in one place, but
update that status like once a minute *I.E. a clock* run into problems as
the status line gets corrupted and stays that way until the software decides
to update it.  Basicly, almost every utility I've ever tried to run with
split screen modes doesn't get along with tw100.  Yes, they still run under
even the dumbest of dumb terminals, but you loose half the features that
make the programs a delight to use in the first place.

One such client/program is Tiny Fugue, another is irc.  They have modes that
split the screen into two or more areas to deal with different types of
input and output.  While the clients can be made to work in dumber display
modes quite easily...you really do miss the split scrolling screens if
you've ever had them to work with ;)
The colors really make a difference as well, in stress levels of working
with streams of constantly moving data.  I guess a good example would be if
you've ever used a text editor for making code that colors the tags and
commands for you, making it very easy to spot where things begin and end, or
pick out syntax errors...little things like that can save alot of
headaches...once you get spoilt, it'll drive you nuts trying to live without
it.

Mint has always been something I've much appreciated as an atari user, but
I've always been very dissapointed in the lack of a really solid terminal.
I try not to gripe much about it since mint is free, and the people who code
for mint naturally bother with the things that are important to themselves.
Hey, I don't blame them...life is short and we all got better things to do
than code something we don't particularly care about for free.  I don't know
how to code, and do well to even get a precompiled binary to run.  All along
I've always pledged however, that I would pay top dollar for a full featured
gem based vt102/ansi terminal that can deal with the standard unix sockets,
and also run in plain GEM and link up with the serial ports and
STing/STik/Iconect/etc...

Yes, I have gotten many kind messages suggesting things that might work,
such as tweaking the termcaps just right, trying to pipe thru Connect 95/97,
and so on.
None of them work reliably however.  Some of them work sometimes, and not
others, and some of them work pretty well, but can take half an hour to set
up and get running 'each and every' time with no way to automate the
process.

I'm not flameing...because I know I've never contributed anything to the
mint projects myself other than the occassional assisting a newbie in
finding and setting up mint.  Once or twice a year, I do like to put in a
fuss over wishing for a really good solid terminal.  All the fuss about
making distributions and wether to use gunzip or cpio, wether to put some
function in the libraries or into the kernal, and on and on and on, yet we
still don't have a TERMINAL that's any where close to the rest of the unix
world.

The few of you out there who still contribute to the mint projects, please
don't get angry at me for letting off steam...I appreciate you big time!
It's just that I'd love to get someone interested in taking a close look at
terminals and how they work, and doing a class A vt102/ansi console for GEM.
It would be a dream come true if it could pipe into mint, but also run under
plain GEM/Geneva/Magic/etc, and link up directly with the serial interfaces,
 and optionally with STik/STing/Draconis/I-Connect worlds.  I'd blow a
hundred bucks on such a thing in a heartbeat...it would make all the other
great things you guys do with mint worthwhile :)

Brian