Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!uwvax!umn-d-ub!umn-cs!ems!nis!stag!trb
From: trb@stag.UUCP ( Todd Burkey )
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Curses (also HDSCAN 1.4 info)
Message-ID: <341@stag.UUCP>
Date: 17 Feb 88 14:46:23 GMT
References: <319@inuxj.UUCP> <280@sp7040.UUCP> <337@stag.UUCP> <33697CEN@PSUVM>
Reply-To: trb@stag.UUCP ( Todd Burkey )
Organization: Mindtools ST Access Group, Plymouth, MN
Lines: 23

In article <33697CEN@PSUVM> CEN@PSUVM.BITNET writes:
>Could some kind soul please explain exactly what is in the Curses package?

Curses is a package that provides a standard set of i/o control
functions. It includes standard screen postitioning calls (simple
things like moving to a location on as screen as well as complex
things like managing multiple windows) and standard input char/line
options. The real advantage to using Curses is that the calls are
pretty much standard. If you write a program that uses Curses for
screen management on one Unix system, then you can be pretty sure that
it will run on most other Unix boxes (and equally importantly on
pretty much any type of terminal that is attached to the unix systems
since curses will look at the terminals TERMCAP/TERMINFO file for you
and handle all the messy logic.

If you are writing a program that you intend only for the ST, then I
wouldn't recommend using curses. Just use the vt52 esc codes and throw
in all the graphics you care to use. If you plan on porting the
program over to an IBM PC or Amiga or Unix, then curses comes in
handy.
 
   -Todd Burkey
    trb@stag.UUCP