problem with xterm on RS6000NN

[Chin Fang]

In article <1991Jun24.202647.28977 at ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, allender at ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Mark Allender) writes:
|> I just installed the X11R4 clients on our IBM RS/6000 machines.  Everything seems
|> fine except for the xterm.  When logging in on console, and starting X, the xterm
|> specified by my .xinitrc comes up just fine, but the terminal control seems really
|> messed up.  I do not get a normal CR/LF sequence after hitting return.  My term looks
|> something like as follows:
|> 
|> 14:02:40 14 meibm2 ~/bin
|> >>> 
|>                        14:03:40 14 meibm2 ~/bin
|>                        >>>
|>              				      14:04:43 14 meibm2 ~/bin
|> 				              >>>
|> 
|> These seperate prompts coming after hitting return.  This seems like a terminfo
|> problem.  So after getting a terminfo entry for xterm, and using tic to compile
|> it, my problems still remain.  (Note, that this is a true xterm, and not that
|> darn aixterm ibm invented.).  I'm sure that I am missing something probably pretty
|> obvious, but have torn myself up over this.
|> 
|> Any hints or suggestions?????
|> 

Sigh... You are not alone.  However, I have a working "kludge" which works around
this problem (you see more below. Grrrrr!)  An except from our system.twmrc is given below:

[Use the same "kludge" in your .twmrc or .tvtwmrc]

------------------------------ part of our system .xinitrc ----------------------
#
# setup path to standard X11R4 standard fonts and a few IBM fonts as well
#

    FD1=/usr/local/lib/X11/fonts
    FD2=/usr/lib/X11/fonts
    xset fp $FD1/misc,$FD1/75dpi,$FD1/100dpi,$FD1/xtex,$FD2

    if [ -r $HOME/.Xresources ]; then
        xrdb -load $HOME/.Xresources
    else
        xrdb -load /usr/local/scripts/Xresources
    fi

    nxb=/usr/local/bin
    bitmap=/usr/local/include/X11/bitmaps

    xdpyinfo | grep -s "1 plane"
    if [ $? != 0 ] ; then
        $nxb/xsetroot -solid SkyBlue3 -cursor \
        $bitmap/left_ptr $bitmap/left_ptrmsk
    else
        $nxb/xsetroot -grey -cursor $bitmap/left_ptr $bitmap/left_ptrmsk
    fi

    xterm -name console -T Console -e csh -f -c 'reset; exec tcsh'&
    xclock &
    xload &
    xbiff  &

    #
    # Also make my cursor invisible whenever I am pondering over something
    #
    #unclutter -grab &

    #
    # Now call up a big terminal for work
    #

    (sleep 5; xterm -g 80x55-0-0 -sb -cr red -T 'Local XTerm' -e csh -f -c 'rese
t; exec tcsh') &

    if [ ! -d $HOME/supplies ]
    then
        echo "$LOGNAME\n1\n1" | /usr/lpp/X11/bin/xdtnewuser > /dev/null
    fi
#      exec twm
      exec tvtwm
#      exec mwm
else
   echo "You are using a unknown system!"
   exit 160
fi
------------------------------- end of .xinitrc excerpt --------------------------

If you don't have tcsh, you might want to get it and build it.  No hassle at all.
For the time being, just change tcsch to csh, that will do too.

I use tvtwm from export.lcs.mit.edu (dir contrib) I think it's nicer than the
plain twm :-) [only two lines needed to be changed to build a working version.
fairly easy]

Hope the above helps.

Sincerely,

Chin Fang
Student Unix System Adminstrator
Academic Information Resources
Stanford University

grad student
Mechanical Engineering Department
Stanford University
fangchin at leland.stanford.edu