Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!ucdavis!csusac!jetfuel From: jetfuel@csusac.csus.edu (Dave Jenks) Newsgroups: comp.unix.programmer Subject: Re: CURSES: magic cookie glitch characters Summary: an inconvenience and a drag Keywords: Curses magic cookie glitch Message-ID: <1990Nov15.061216.7165@csusac.csus.edu> Date: 15 Nov 90 06:12:16 GMT References: Reply-To: jetfuel@csusac.UUCP (Dave Jenks) Organization: California State University, Sacramento Lines: 20 In article felps@convex.com (Robert Felps) writes: >Can anyone shed some light on 'magic cookie glitch characters'? A "magic cookie" is a byte location on a terminal screen which alters the "current attribute[s]". For example, to change from normal to reverse video, there would be a byte on the screen which changes all subsequent bytes to be reverse. To write something in that location on the screen would cancel the reversal of the following characters. The obvious bummer is that the entire screen cannot be used - screen/ display attributes take up space. The *absolute worst* part is that some terminals do it, and some don't, making tty-independent software that much more of a pain. -- ======================================================================= "Pro is to con, as progress is to Congress..." >>-@@-> Dave Jenks {uunet | ucbvax!ucdavis}!csusac!jetfuel =======================================================================