Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!amdcad!ames!elroy!spl1!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.UUCP (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Using an ANSI emulator with VMS editors
Message-ID: <719@ddsw1.UUCP>
Date: 10 Feb 88 18:33:57 GMT
References: <2058@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: karl@ddsw1.UUCP (Karl Denninger)
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Mundelein, IL
Lines: 48
Summary: That isn't going to work at all (unfortunately)...

In article <2058@bsu-cs.UUCP> dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) writes:
>I use Microport System V/AT to dial up and its termcap entry that I
>use is:
>
>sy|uport|uport generic ansi standard terminal:\
>        :am:bs:xt:\
>        :co#80:li#24:\
>        :al=\E[L:cd=\E[J:ce=\E[K:cl=\E[H\E[J:\
>        :cm=\E[%i%d;%dH:dc=\E[P:dl=\E[M:ho=\E[H:\
>        :kb=\b:kd=\E[B:kh=\E[H:kl=\E[D:\
>	:up=\E[A:\
>        :kr=\E[C:ku=\E[A:nd=\E[C:\
>	:us=\E[4m:ue=\E[m:\
>	:so=\E[7m:se=\E[m:\
>	:md=\E[1m:\
>	:mr=\E[7m:\
>	:me=\E[m:
>
>This works nicely with 4.3BSD.  But VMS editors just splutter at me
>(even if I do $ set terminal/ansi etc.) and mess up my screen.  Does
>anybody know how to do this?

Forget it - it's probably easier to buy a VT220 clone than fix it.

VMS doesn't want to see ANSI, they want to see their idea of ANSI
-- which contains proprietary extensions, etc.  For example, they define a
'inquiry' sequence which the terminal is supposed to respond to (the
sequence response identifies the type of terminal, enhancements in it if
any [ie: graphics], etc.)

You're also contending with the fact that the ANSI emulation which uport
uses in the console driver is not quite playing with a full deck.  That is,
things like scroll regions don't work quite right (2.3.0 is better but not
quite right -- earlier versions had major shortcomings).

The biggest problem with VAX/VMS and terminals (in my opinion) is that you 
can't make your own termcap entries.  The software knows of only a few 
terminals -- all DEC products.  (Ever wonder why there's such a market for
VT100/VT220 look-alike terminals?  Now you know!)

Your only solution would be to write a filter routine which you insert in
your terminal program (or pipe to/from it) that translates *all* the DEC
control codes to what uport wants to see.  Yuck.

-------
Karl Denninger		       |  Data: +1 312 566-8912
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc. | Voice: +1 312 566-8910
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