Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!metran!jay
From: jay@metran.UUCP (Jay Ts)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: color for 386/ix
Summary: Here's a kludge
Keywords: color consoles
Message-ID: <208@metran.UUCP>
Date: 5 Mar 90 06:43:05 GMT
References: <511241@nstar.UUCP>
Organization: Metran Technology, Clearwater FL
Lines: 43

[1;37;45m 
In article <511241@nstar.UUCP>, larry@nstar.UUCP (Larry Snyder) writes:
> [...]
> As most of you know, I am running 386/ix. [...]
> I received a "setcolor" utility for 386 unix and it works until 
> I bring up vi - in which case the console is reset to white on 
> black.  If I run this utility again, the set up color remains
  ^^^^^
[1;37;44m 
Actually, *grey* on black.  Normally, you get white by hiliting grey.
[1;37;45m 
> active again until I run one of several system utilities or 
> applications in which case the console is reset.  Is there
> any way to set and keep the console in a specific color combination?
[1;37;44m 
What I am now doing to try to achieve this is a horrible kludge, but since I
haven't seen anyone post a better method, here it is.

What I do is simply run a setcolor-like command from my crontab, which looks
like this: (look at it with vi, to show escape char's)
--------------------- start of crontab entry ---------------------
* * * * * echo -n '[1;37;44m' >/dev/console; echo -n '[1;32;44m' >/dev/vt01; echo -n '[1;37;43m' >/dev/vt02; echo -n '[1;37;45m' >/dev/vt03; echo -n '[1;33;45m' >/dev/vt04;
--------------------- end of crontab entry -----------------------
[1;37;44m 
(sorry if this messes up your screen...)  Basically, I am just printing the
necessary escape sequences -- see display(7) in the 386/ix User's/System
Administrator's Reference Manual -- to the console and virtual terminals once
each minute.  It's rather nice getting white (not grey) text, and a different
color combination for each virtual screen, so I know which one I'm using.
[1;32;44m 
Now, this method doesn't *really* work, it just comes close.  I just use it
because I'm desperate for color text.  If vi messes up the colors, it will take
up to a minute for them to be reset, and you still have to press CTRL-L to
refresh the whole screen.  vi is most annoying; it resets the colors upon
startup and each time it prints an error message!
[1;37;43m 
OK, now that I have made a fool of myself by posting this silliness, someone
*please* tell us of a better way!
[1;37;44m 
				Jay Ts
				uunet!metran!jay
[0m				[5;41;33;1mflames[0m to [1m/dev/null
[0m