Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!midway!clout!chinet!les
From: les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Tweaking 6386 display colors
Message-ID: <1991May06.143757.20161@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 6 May 91 14:37:57 GMT
References: <1991May2.183759.2485@cbfsb.att.com> <1991May3.220534.8867@cbfsb.att.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 23

In article <1991May3.220534.8867@cbfsb.att.com> mtd@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (Mario T DeFazio) writes:

>		 tput p1 p2
>where p1 is
>	'setf' to set foreground color
>	'setb' to set background color

The "background color" in this case refers to the background of each
subsequent character that is displayed, not the part of the screen
that is normally black.  The difference is significant in that the
blank space beyond the end of a line is not re-drawn, nor is the
blank line at the bottom of the screen as text normally scrolls.
Thus if you change your background color you end up with a horrible
looking mess that is partly your chosen color and partly black.
Also, the terminfo init sequence always resets the white-on-black
mode, so running anything that uses curses will undo the color setting.
Has anyone come up with a way that actually works to get a decent
white-on-blue screen besides dialing in from a DOS terminal program?
I suppose running kermit under VP/ix looping between two serial
ports would work at the expense of all the machine's idle time.

Les Mikesell
  les@chinet.chi.il.us