mirror of
https://git.FreeBSD.org/src.git
synced 2024-12-24 11:29:10 +00:00
392 lines
16 KiB
HTML
392 lines
16 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML 3.0//EN">
|
|
<!--
|
|
$Id: announce.html,v 1.34 1999/10/23 21:13:11 tom Exp $
|
|
-->
|
|
<HTML>
|
|
<HEAD>
|
|
<TITLE>Announcing ncurses 5.0</TITLE>
|
|
<link rev=made href="mailto:bug-ncurses@gnu.org">
|
|
</HEAD>
|
|
<BODY>
|
|
|
|
<H1>Announcing ncurses 5.0</H1>
|
|
|
|
The ncurses (new curses) library is a free software emulation of
|
|
curses in System V Release 4.0, and more. It uses terminfo format,
|
|
supports pads and color
|
|
and multiple highlights and forms characters and function-key mapping,
|
|
and has all the other SYSV-curses enhancements over BSD curses.<P>
|
|
|
|
In mid-June 1995, the maintainer of 4.4BSD curses declared that he
|
|
considered 4.4BSD curses obsolete, and is encouraging the keepers of
|
|
Unix releases such as BSD/OS, freeBSD and netBSD to switch over to
|
|
ncurses.<P>
|
|
|
|
The ncurses code was developed under GNU/Linux. It should port easily to
|
|
any ANSI/POSIX-conforming UNIX. It has even been ported to OS/2 Warp!<P>
|
|
|
|
The distribution includes the library and support utilities, including a
|
|
terminfo compiler tic(1), a decompiler infocmp(1), clear(1), tput(1), tset(1),
|
|
and a termcap conversion tool captoinfo(1). Full manual pages are provided for
|
|
the library and tools.<P>
|
|
|
|
The ncurses distribution is available via anonymous FTP at
|
|
the GNU distribution site
|
|
<A HREF="ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/ncurses">ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/ncurses</A>.
|
|
It is also available at
|
|
<A HREF="ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/ncurses">ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/ncurses</A>.
|
|
|
|
<H1>Release Notes</H1>
|
|
|
|
We decided to release ncurses as a new whole number release (5.0) because it
|
|
incorporates several interface changes, including some that would invalidate
|
|
existing shared libraries. These are the highlights from the change-log
|
|
since ncurses 4.2 release.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Interface changes:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>The principal source of changes to the interface comes from the
|
|
release of X/Open Curses in 1997. Earlier versions of ncurses (4.0
|
|
and before) were based on a draft version of the specification. The
|
|
release version adds parameters to some functions to support the
|
|
evolving internationalization of curses. These summarize the impact:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>modified several prototypes to correspond with 1997 version of
|
|
X/Open Curses (affects ABI since developers have used attr_get).
|
|
|
|
<li>corrected prototypes for slk_* functions, using chtype rather than
|
|
attr_t.
|
|
|
|
<li>the slk_attr_{set,off,on} functions need an additional void*
|
|
parameter according to XSI.
|
|
|
|
<li>correct macros for wattr_set, wattr_get, separate wattrset macro from
|
|
these to preserve behavior that allows attributes to be combined with
|
|
color pair numbers.
|
|
|
|
<li>reviewed/updated curses.h, term.h against X/Open Curses Issue 4
|
|
Version 2. This includes making some parameters NCURSES_CONST
|
|
rather than const, e.g., in termcap.h.
|
|
|
|
<li>reviewed/corrected macros in curses.h as per XSI document.
|
|
|
|
<li>add set_a_attributes and set_pglen_inch to terminfo structure, as per
|
|
XSI and Solaris 2.5.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<li>The newest version of the X/Open Curses is implemented on Solaris
|
|
and other vendor's systems. It adds new features to the terminfo
|
|
descriptions:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>implement tparm %l format.
|
|
|
|
<li>implement tparm printf-style width and precision for %s, %d, %x, %o
|
|
as per XSI.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<li>We made additional changes to reduce impact by future interface
|
|
changes:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>rename key_names[] array to _nc_key_names since it is not part of
|
|
the curses interface.
|
|
|
|
<li>move macro winch to a function, to hide details of struct ldat
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<li>modify configure script to embed ABI in shared libraries for HP-UX
|
|
10.x (detailed request by Tim Mooney).
|
|
|
|
<li>modify configuration of shared libraries on Digital Unix so that
|
|
versioning is embedded in the library, rather than implied by
|
|
links (patch by Tim Mooney).
|
|
</ul>
|
|
New features:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>enable sigwinch handler by default.
|
|
|
|
<li>turn on hashmap scrolling code by default
|
|
|
|
<li>improved support for termcap applications
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>modify tput to accept termcap names as an alternative to terminfo
|
|
names.
|
|
|
|
<li>provide support for termcap PC variable by copying it from terminfo
|
|
data and using it as the padding character in tputs.
|
|
|
|
<li>provide support for termcap ospeed variable by copying it from the
|
|
internal cur_term member, and using ospeed as the baudrate
|
|
reference for the delay_output and tputs functions.
|
|
|
|
<li>change name-comparisons in lib_termcap to compare no more than 2
|
|
characters.
|
|
|
|
<li>add configure option --enable-tcap-names, which essentially
|
|
allows users to define new capabilities as in termcap.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<li>add mouse support to ncurses menus.
|
|
|
|
<li>add mouse and dll support for OS/2 EMX
|
|
|
|
<li>modify terminfo parsing to accept octal and hexadecimal constants
|
|
|
|
<li>add configure option --enable-no-padding, to allow environment
|
|
variable $NCURSES_NO_PADDING to eliminate non-mandatory padding,
|
|
thereby making terminal emulators (e.g., for vt100) a little more
|
|
efficient.
|
|
|
|
<li>modify lib_color.c to eliminate dependency on orig_colors and
|
|
orig_pair, since SVr4 curses does not require these either, but
|
|
uses them when they are available.
|
|
|
|
<li>add -f option to infocmp and tic, which formats the terminfo
|
|
if/then/else/endif so that they are readable (with newlines and
|
|
tabs).
|
|
|
|
<li>modify tic to compile into %'char' form in preference to %{number},
|
|
since that is a little more efficient.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
Major bug fixes:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>modify lib_tstp.c to block SIGTTOU when handling SIGTSTP, fixes a
|
|
problem where ncurses applications which were run via a shell script
|
|
would hang when given a ^Z. Also, check if the terminal's process
|
|
group is consistent, i.e., a shell has not taken ownership of it,
|
|
before deciding to save the current terminal settings in the SIGTSTP
|
|
handler.
|
|
|
|
<li>suppress sc/rc capabilities from terminal description if they appear
|
|
in smcup/rmcup. This affects only scrolling optimization, to fix a
|
|
problem reported by several people with xterm's alternate screen,
|
|
though the problem is more general.
|
|
|
|
<li>modify relative_move and tputs to avoid an interaction with the
|
|
BSD-style padding. The relative_move function could produce a string
|
|
to replace on the screen which began with a numeric character, which
|
|
was then interpreted by tputs as padding.
|
|
|
|
<li>modify setupterm so that cancelled strings are treated the same as
|
|
absent strings, cancelled and absent booleans false (does not affect
|
|
tic, infocmp).
|
|
|
|
<li>modify lib_vidattr.c to allow for terminal types (e.g., xterm-color)
|
|
which may reset all attributes in the 'op' capability, so that colors
|
|
are set before turning on bold and other attributes, but still after
|
|
turning attributes off.
|
|
|
|
<li>use 'access()' to check if ncurses library should be permitted to
|
|
open or modify files with fopen/open/link/unlink/remove calls, in
|
|
case the calling application is running in setuid mode.
|
|
|
|
<li>correction to doupdate, for case where terminal does not support
|
|
insert/delete character. The logic did not check that there was a
|
|
difference in alignment of changes to old/new screens before
|
|
repainting the whole non-blank portion of the line. Modified to fall
|
|
through into logic that reduces by the portion which does not differ.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<H1>Features of Ncurses</H1>
|
|
|
|
The ncurses package is fully compatible with SVr4 (System V Release 4) curses:
|
|
|
|
<UL>
|
|
<LI>All 257 of the SVr4 calls have been implemented (and are documented).
|
|
<LI>Full support for SVr4 curses features including keyboard mapping, color,
|
|
forms-drawing with ACS characters, and automatic recognition of keypad
|
|
and function keys.
|
|
<LI>An emulation of the SVr4 panels library, supporting
|
|
a stack of windows with backing store, is included.
|
|
<LI>An emulation of the SVr4 menus library, supporting
|
|
a uniform but flexible interface for menu programming, is included.
|
|
<LI>An emulation of the SVr4 form library, supporting
|
|
data collection through on-screen forms, is included.
|
|
<LI>Binary terminfo entries generated by the ncurses tic(1) implementation
|
|
are bit-for-bit-compatible with the entry format SVr4 curses uses.
|
|
<LI>The utilities have options to allow you to filter terminfo
|
|
entries for use with less capable <STRONG>curses</STRONG>/<STRONG>terminfo</STRONG>
|
|
versions such as the HP/UX and AIX ports.</UL>
|
|
|
|
The ncurses package also has many useful extensions over SVr4:
|
|
|
|
<UL>
|
|
<LI>The API is 8-bit clean and base-level conformant with the X/OPEN curses
|
|
specification, XSI curses (that is, it implements all BASE level features,
|
|
but not all EXTENDED features). Most EXTENDED-level features not directly
|
|
concerned with wide-character support are implemented, including many
|
|
function calls not supported under SVr4 curses (but portability of all
|
|
calls is documented so you can use the SVr4 subset only).
|
|
<LI>Unlike SVr3 curses, ncurses can write to the rightmost-bottommost corner
|
|
of the screen if your terminal has an insert-character capability.
|
|
<LI>Ada95 and C++ bindings.
|
|
<LI>Support for mouse event reporting with X Window xterm and OS/2 console windows.
|
|
<LI>Extended mouse support via Alessandro Rubini's gpm package.
|
|
<LI>The function <CODE>wresize()</CODE> allows you to resize windows, preserving
|
|
their data.
|
|
<LI>The function <CODE>use_default_colors()</CODE> allows you to
|
|
use the terminal's default colors for the default color pair,
|
|
achieving the effect of transparent colors.
|
|
<LI>The functions <CODE>keyok()</CODE>
|
|
and <CODE>define_key()</CODE> allow
|
|
you to better control the use of function keys,
|
|
e.g., disabling the ncurses KEY_MOUSE,
|
|
or by defining more than one control sequence to map to a given key code.
|
|
<LI>Support for 16-color terminals, such as aixterm and XFree86 xterm.
|
|
<LI>Better cursor-movement optimization. The package now features a
|
|
cursor-local-movement computation more efficient than either BSD's
|
|
or System V's.
|
|
<LI>Super hardware scrolling support. The screen-update code incorporates
|
|
a novel, simple, and cheap algorithm that enables it to make optimal
|
|
use of hardware scrolling, line-insertion, and line-deletion
|
|
for screen-line movements. This algorithm is more powerful than
|
|
the 4.4BSD curses quickch() routine.
|
|
<LI>Real support for terminals with the magic-cookie glitch. The
|
|
screen-update code will refrain from drawing a highlight if the magic-
|
|
cookie unattributed spaces required just before the beginning and
|
|
after the end would step on a non-space character. It will
|
|
automatically shift highlight boundaries when doing so would make it
|
|
possible to draw the highlight without changing the visual appearance
|
|
of the screen.
|
|
<LI>It is possible to generate the library with a list of pre-loaded
|
|
fallback entries linked to it so that it can serve those terminal types even
|
|
when no terminfo tree or termcap file is accessible (this may be useful
|
|
for support of screen-oriented programs that must run in single-user mode).
|
|
<LI>The tic(1)/captoinfo utility provided with ncurses has the
|
|
ability to translate many termcaps from the XENIX, IBM and
|
|
AT&T extension sets.
|
|
<LI>A BSD-like tset(1) utility is provided.
|
|
<LI>The ncurses library and utilities will automatically read terminfo
|
|
entries from $HOME/.terminfo if it exists, and compile to that directory
|
|
if it exists and the user has no write access to the system directory.
|
|
This feature makes it easier for users to have personal terminfo entries
|
|
without giving up access to the system terminfo directory.
|
|
<LI>You may specify a path of directories to search for compiled
|
|
descriptions with the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS (this
|
|
generalizes the feature provided by TERMINFO under stock System V.)
|
|
<LI>In terminfo source files, use capabilities may refer not just to
|
|
other entries in the same source file (as in System V) but also to
|
|
compiled entries in either the system terminfo directory or the user's
|
|
$HOME/.terminfo directory.
|
|
<LI>A script (<STRONG>capconvert</STRONG>) is provided to help BSD users
|
|
transition from termcap to terminfo. It gathers the information in a
|
|
TERMCAP environment variable and/or a ~/.termcap local entries file
|
|
and converts it to an equivalent local terminfo tree under $HOME/.terminfo.
|
|
<LI>Automatic fallback to the /etc/termcap file can be compiled in
|
|
when it is not possible to build a terminfo tree. This feature is neither
|
|
fast nor cheap, you don't want to use it unless you have to,
|
|
but it's there.
|
|
<LI>The table-of-entries utility <STRONG>toe</STRONG> makes it easy for users to
|
|
see exactly what terminal types are available on the system.
|
|
<LI>The library meets the XSI requirement that every macro entry
|
|
point have a corresponding function which may be linked (and will be
|
|
prototype-checked) if the macro definition is disabled with
|
|
<CODE>#undef</CODE>.
|
|
<LI>An HTML "Introduction to Programming with NCURSES" document provides
|
|
a narrative introduction to the curses programming interface.
|
|
</UL>
|
|
|
|
<H1>State of the Package</H1>
|
|
|
|
Numerous bugs present in earlier versions have been fixed; the
|
|
library is far more reliable than it used to be. Bounds checking in many
|
|
`dangerous' entry points has been improved. The code is now type-safe
|
|
according to gcc -Wall. The library has been checked for malloc leaks and
|
|
arena corruption by the Purify memory-allocation tester.<P>
|
|
|
|
The ncurses code has been tested with a wide variety of applications
|
|
including (versions starting with those noted):
|
|
<DL>
|
|
<DT> cdk
|
|
<DD> Curses Development Kit
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.vexus.ca/CDK.html">Curses Development Kit</a>
|
|
<A HREF="ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/cdk">ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/cdk</A>.
|
|
<DT> ded
|
|
<DD> directory-editor
|
|
<A HREF="ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/ded">ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/ded</A>.
|
|
<DT> dialog
|
|
<DD> the underlying application used in Slackware's setup, and the basis
|
|
for similar applications on GNU/Linux.
|
|
<DT> lynx
|
|
<DD> the character-screen WWW browser
|
|
<DT> Midnight Commander 4.1
|
|
<DD> file manager
|
|
<DT> mutt
|
|
<DD> mail utility
|
|
<DT> ncftp
|
|
<DD> file-transfer utility
|
|
<DT> nvi
|
|
<DD> New vi versions 1.50 are able to use ncurses versions 1.9.7 and later.
|
|
<DT> tin
|
|
<DD> newsreader, supporting color, MIME
|
|
<A HREF="ftp://ftp.akk.uni-karlsruhe.de/pub/news/clients/tin-unoff">ftp://ftp.akk.uni-karlsruhe.de/pub/news/clients/tin-unoff</A>.
|
|
<DT> taper
|
|
<DD> tape archive utility
|
|
<DT> vh-1.6
|
|
<DD> Volks-Hypertext browser for the Jargon File
|
|
</DL>
|
|
as well as some that use ncurses for the terminfo support alone:
|
|
<DL>
|
|
<DT> minicom
|
|
<DD> terminal emulator
|
|
<DT> vile
|
|
<DD> vi-like-emacs
|
|
<A HREF="ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/vile">ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/vile</A>.
|
|
</DL>
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
The ncurses distribution includes a selection of test programs (including
|
|
a few games).
|
|
|
|
<H2>Who's Who and What's What</H2>
|
|
|
|
The original developers of ncurses are <A
|
|
HREF="mailto:zmbenhal@netcom.com">Zeyd Ben-Halim</A> and
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.ccil.org/~esr/home.html">Eric S. Raymond</A>.
|
|
Ongoing work is being done by
|
|
<A HREF="mailto:dickey@clark.net">Thomas Dickey</A>
|
|
and
|
|
<A HREF="mailto:juergen.pfeifer@gmx.net">Jürgen Pfeifer</A>.
|
|
<A HREF="mailto:dickey@clark.net">Thomas Dickey</A>
|
|
acts as the maintainer for the Free Software Foundation, which holds the
|
|
copyright on ncurses.
|
|
Contact the current maintainers at
|
|
<A HREF="mailto:bug-ncurses@gnu.org">bug-ncurses@gnu.org</A>.
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
To join the ncurses mailing list, please write email to
|
|
<CODE>bug-ncurses-request@gnu.org</CODE> containing the line:
|
|
<PRE>
|
|
subscribe <name>@<host.domain>
|
|
</PRE>
|
|
|
|
This list is open to anyone interested in helping with the development and
|
|
testing of this package.<P>
|
|
|
|
Beta versions of ncurses and patches to the current release are made available at
|
|
<A HREF="ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/ncurses">ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/ncurses</A>.
|
|
|
|
<H2>Future Plans</H2>
|
|
<UL>
|
|
<LI>Extended-level XPG4 conformance, with internationalization support.
|
|
<LI>Ports to more systems, including DOS and Windows.
|
|
</UL>
|
|
We need people to help with these projects. If you are interested in working
|
|
on them, please join the ncurses list.
|
|
|
|
<H2>Other Related Resources</H2>
|
|
|
|
The distribution includes and uses a version of the terminfo-format
|
|
terminal description file maintained by Eric Raymond.
|
|
<A HREF="http://earthspace.net/~esr/terminfo">http://earthspace.net/~esr/terminfo</A>.<P>
|
|
|
|
You can find lots of information on terminal-related topics
|
|
not covered in the terminfo file at
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.cs.utk.edu/~shuford/terminal_index.html">Richard Shuford's
|
|
archive</A>.
|
|
</BODY>
|
|
</HTML>
|
|
<!--
|
|
# The following sets edit modes for GNU EMACS
|
|
# Local Variables:
|
|
# mode:html
|
|
# case-fold-search:nil
|
|
# fill-column:70
|
|
# End:
|
|
-->
|