Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!heart-of-gold!jc
From: jc@heart-of-gold (John M Chambers x7780 1E342)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.workstations
Subject: Inverse termcap/terminfo?
Message-ID: <147@heart-of-gold>
Date: 12 Apr 88 14:06:15 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 27
Approved: works@rutgers.edu

My question this time around is: Is there (or is anyone working on) a
product that is the inverse of termcap and/or terminfo?

What I mean by this is that I have a software package written to talk
to terminal X (where X may be any entry in the term* databases), and I
don't have a model X terminal.  But I do have a coouple of
workstations, such as this Sun.  What I'd like to do is to open a
window which will simulate the X terminal, then let me
rlogin/telnet/tip/cu or whatever to the other machine and run the
software there.

I call this an "inverse" termcap or terminfo, because instead of
telling the software what sort of terminal I have, I tell the terminal
(window) what the software expects.  This strikes me as a potentially
useful way to build a windowing package.  It also seems that I can't
have been the only one to think of it, and there's a good chance that
various companies may be developing it in a back room.  (On the other
hand, considering the way most companies resist general solutions,
maybe I'm just dreaming. :-)

Anyone know if such a product exists or is in beta test or whatever?
If not, I may have to do it myself...

-- 
[Send flames; they keep it cool in this lab :-]

Am I the same John Chambers as jc@minya?  You decide....
Hint:  That guy over at ut-sally is an imposter.  (;-)