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From: chris@mimsy.umd.edu (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: ANSI ESCAPE SEQUENCES
Message-ID: <27632@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 13 Nov 90 09:20:19 GMT
References: <102019@cc.utah.edu> <1746@ruunsa.fys.ruu.nl>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 25

In article <1746@ruunsa.fys.ruu.nl> demoel@ruunsa.fys.ruu.nl
(Ed de_Moel) writes:
>The ANSI standard for device control (not just CRT's but any
>output device!) exists since 1979. It really amazes me
>that UNIX people, unlike the rest of the world keep using
>non-standard (and hence non-portable) code using termcaps libraries.

Tell that to the manufacturers of about half the terminals in use at
our University, none of whom saw fit to implement X3.64.

If our software required ANSI terminals, it would not work.

In addition, merely knowing that a terminal's software followed the
recommendations in X3.64 is not enough to control it fully, because
you have no idea:
 - whether the device implements underline, bold, italics, etc
 - how many rows and columns there are
 - whether the device is a CRT or a printer
 - if the device is a CRT, which editing modes it implements
and so on.

X3.64 is a good (if annoyingly complicated) start, but it is not The Answer.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 405 2750)
Domain:	chris@cs.umd.edu	Path:	uunet!mimsy!chris