summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/contrib/ncurses/README
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'contrib/ncurses/README')
-rw-r--r--contrib/ncurses/README175
1 files changed, 175 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/contrib/ncurses/README b/contrib/ncurses/README
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf1ab65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/ncurses/README
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+-- $Id: README,v 1.17 1998/02/15 01:26:47 tom Exp $
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ README file for the ncurses package
+
+See the file ANNOUNCE for a summary of ncurses features and ports.
+See the file INSTALL for instructions on how to build and install ncurses.
+See the file NEWS for a release history and bug-fix notes.
+See the file TO-DO for things that still need doing, including known bugs.
+
+Browse the file misc/ncurses-intro.html for narrative descriptions of how
+to use ncurses and the panel, menu, and form libraries.
+
+Browse the file misc/hackguide.html for a tour of the package internals.
+
+ROADMAP AND PACKAGE OVERVIEW:
+
+You should be reading this file in a directory called: ncurses-d.d, where d.d
+is the current version number (see the dist.mk file in this directory for
+that). There should be a number of subdirectories, including `c++', `form',
+`man', `menu', `misc', `ncurses', `panel', `progs', `test', 'tack' and `Ada95'.
+(The 'tack' program is distributed separately).
+
+A full build/install of this package typically installs several libraries, a
+handful of utilities, and a database hierarchy. Here is an inventory of the
+pieces:
+
+The libraries are:
+
+ libncurses.a (normal)
+ libncurses.so (shared)
+ libncurses_g.a (debug and trace code enabled)
+ libncurses_p.a (profiling enabled)
+
+ libpanel.a (normal)
+ libpanel.so (shared)
+ libpanel_g.a (debug and trace code enabled)
+
+ libmenu.a (normal)
+ libmenu.so (shared)
+ libmenu_g.a (debug enabled)
+
+ libform.a (normal)
+ libform.so (shared)
+ libform_g.a (debug enabled)
+
+The ncurses libraries implement the curses API. The panel, menu and forms
+libraries implement clones of the SVr4 panel, menu and forms APIs. The source
+code for these lives in the `ncurses', `panel', `menu', and `form' directories
+respectively.
+
+In the `c++' directory, you'll find code that defines an interface to the
+curses, forms, menus and panels library packaged as C++ classes, and a demo program in C++
+to test it. These class definition modules are not installed by the 'make
+install.libs' rule as libncurses++.
+
+In the `Ada95' directory, you'll find code and documentation for an
+Ada95 binding of the curses API, to be used with the GNAT compiler.
+This binding is built by a normal top-level `make' if configure detects
+an usable version of GNAT (3.10 or above). It is not installed automatically.
+See the Ada95 directory for more build and installation instructions and
+for documentation of the binding.
+
+To do its job, the ncurses code needs your terminal type to be set in the
+environment variable TERM (normally set by your OS; under UNIX, getty(1)
+typically does this, but you can override it in your .profile); and, it needs a
+database of terminal descriptions in which to look up your terminal type's
+capabilities.
+
+In older (V7/BSD) versions of curses, the database was a flat text file,
+/etc/termcap; in newer (USG/USL) versions, the database is a hierarchy of
+fast-loading binary description blocks under /usr/lib/terminfo. These binary
+blocks are compiled from an improved editable text representation called
+`terminfo' format (documented in man/terminfo.5). The ncurses library can use
+either /etc/termcap or the compiled binary terminfo blocks, but prefers the
+second form.
+
+In the `misc' directory, there is a text file terminfo.src, in editable
+terminfo format, which can be used to generate the terminfo binaries (that's
+what make install.data does). If the package was built with the
+--enable-termcap option enabled, and the ncurses library cannot find a terminfo
+description for your terminal, it will fall back to the termcap file supplied
+with your system (which the ncurses package installation leaves strictly
+alone).
+
+The utilities are as follows:
+
+ tic -- terminfo source to binary compiler
+ infocmp -- terminfo binary to source decompiler/comparator
+ clear -- emits clear-screen for current terminal
+ tput -- shell-script access to terminal capabilities.
+ toe -- table of entries utility
+ tset -- terminal-initialization utility
+
+The first two (tic and infocmp) are used for manipulating terminfo
+descriptions; the next two (clear and tput) are for use in shell scripts. The
+last (tset) is provided for 4.4BSD compatibility. The source code for all of
+these lives in the `progs' directory.
+
+Detailed documentation for all libraries and utilities can be found in
+the `man' directory. An HTML introduction to ncurses, panels, and
+menus programming lives in the `misc' directory. Manpages in HTML format
+are under `Ada95/html'.
+
+The `test' directory contains programs that can be used to verify or
+demonstrate the functions of the ncurses libraries. See test/README for
+descriptions of these programs. Notably, the `ncurses' utility is designed to
+help you systematically exercise the library functions.
+
+AUTHORS:
+
+Pavel Curtis:
+ wrote the original ncurses
+
+Zeyd M. Ben-Halim:
+ port of original to Linux and many enhancements.
+
+Thomas Dickey (maintainer since 1.9.9e):
+ configuration scripts, porting, mods to adhere to XSI Curses in the
+ areas of background color, terminal modes. Also memory leak testing,
+ the wresize, default colors and key definition extensions and numerous
+ bug fixes (more than half of those enumerated in NEWS beginning with
+ the internal release 1.8.9).
+
+Florian La Roche (official maintainer for FSF's ncurses 4.2)
+ Beginning with release 4.2, ncurses is distributed under an MIT-style
+ license.
+
+Eric S. Raymond:
+ the man pages, infocmp(1), tput(1), clear(1), captoinfo(1), tset(1),
+ toe(1), most of tic(1), trace levels, the HTML intro, wgetnstr() and
+ many other entry points, the cursor-movement optimization, the
+ scroll-pack optimizer for vertical motions, the mouse interface and
+ xterm mouse support, and the ncurses test program.
+
+Juergen Pfeifer
+ The menu and form libraries, C++ bindings for ncurses, menus, forms and
+ panels, as well as the Ada95 binding. Ongoing support for panel.
+
+CONTRIBUTORS:
+
+Alexander V. Lukyanov
+ for numerous fixes and improvements to the optimization logic.
+
+David MacKenzie
+ for first-class bug-chasing and methodical testing.
+
+Ross Ridge
+ for the code that hacks termcap parameterized strings into terminfo.
+
+Warren Tucker and Gerhard Fuernkranz,
+ for writing and sending the panel library.
+
+Hellmuth Michaelis,
+ for many patches and testing the optimization code.
+
+Eric Newton, Ulrich Drepper, and Anatoly Ivasyuk:
+ the C++ code.
+
+Jonathan Ross,
+ for lessons in using sed.
+
+Keith Bostic (maintainer of 4.4BSD curses)
+ for help, criticism, comments, bug-finding, and being willing to
+ deep-six BSD curses for this one when it grew up.
+
+Richard Stallman,
+ for his commitment to making ncurses free software.
+
+Countless other people have contributed by reporting bugs, sending fixes,
+suggesting improvements, and generally whining about ncurses :-)
+
+BUGS:
+ See the INSTALL file for bug and developer-list addresses.
+ The Hacker's Guide in the misc directory includes some guidelines
+ on how to report bugs in ways that will get them fixed most quickly.
OpenPOWER on IntegriCloud