Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:10104 comp.unix.i386:2975
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!hafro!isgate!krafla!brb
From: brb@rhi.hi.is (Bjorn R. Bjornsson)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: VP/IX (keyboards, serial terminals)
Keywords: SCO VPIX
Message-ID: <1519@krafla.rhi.hi.is>
Date: 14 Feb 90 23:34:15 GMT
References: <2271@ucqais.uc.edu> <25c57d87:608.1comp.unix.xenix;1@nstar.UUCP> <7368@hlborl.UUCP>
Organization: Gagntaekni/Bijective Tech.
Lines: 43

In article <7368@hlborl.UUCP>, h_les@hlborl.UUCP (les brown) writes:
> What happens is that (apparently) randomly, the keyboard on my console
> locks up.

Try hitting the ALT key, if that doesn't work try hitting the CONTROL
key, any one of your sessions may have missed the break scancodes for
these keys.

I personally think VP/ix works rather well on a console, but I have
quite a few questions and complaints for VP/ix use on serial terminals.
I almost have the feeling that I must be the only person that has battled
VP/ix through serial terminals.

1. Why are input and scancode mappings limited to 7 chars.  This makes
   "enhanced keyboard" emulation impossible on many ASCII terminals,
   even if they have more or less the right number of keys.
   Good limits are: 0, 1 and infinity (or a reasonable facsimilie,
   thereof)

2. Why is there no screen refresh function for PC compatible terminals*?
   It's present for ASCII terminals but goes away for PC compatible
   terminals.
   Why isn't refresh in the VP/ix menu?

   This is rather important since there seem to be a number of problems
   in VP/ix video emulation for serial terminals.

3. Why isn't there support for ANSI color escape sequences.  Really?
   A lot of folks have these (on there PCs for instance).

4. EGA or VGA emulation with user accessible hooks would be real
   nice instead of the MDA emulation.

5. A program to set the BIOS data area keyboard type should come
   with VP/ix.  A program to synchronize CapsLock, NumLock, ScrollLock
   for PC-compatible terminals should also come with VP/ix.


*A PC compatible terminal is a terminal that is capable of sending
PC keyboard scancodes (make and break) instead of ASCII characters.


Bjorn R. Bjornsson	brb@falcon.is