terminfo/termcap conversion programs available

[Tony L. Hansen]

Recently I posted a note about two programs named captoinfo and infocmp
being available within the AT&T UNIX System Toolchest. Since then a couple
of followup notes have been posted that I would like to reply to.

<From: jsdy at hadron.UUCP (Joseph S. D. Yao)
<
<   It was fairly straightforward to write a decompiler
< for the terminfo descriptors.  I called it 'untic' (I refuse to
< call it 'cit', and anyway C. Itoh might object. ;-)), and intend
< to post it to net.sources as soon as I can get it across our
< high-bandwidth magnetic tape from the System V machine.

The "infocmp" program provides this functionality, plus much more. In
addition to decompiling the binary, it will also print it out in "C
variable" form and in >>> TERMCAP <<< form (with conversions!). It also
provides the capabilities to compare binaries and rewrite entries using the
use= capability.

If all you need is a decompiler, get Joseph Yao's untic tool. If you need
these other capabilities, I recommend the infocmp tool.

< <From: gnu at l5.uucp (John Gilmore)
< No wonder; it's public domain.  I'll send it to you if you send me
< mail (but check your local net.sources archive first!), or with
< sufficient demand will check with Robert Viduya, the author, for a
< more recent version, then post to mod.sources.
< 
< >From: robert at gitpyr.UUCP (Robert Viduya)
< Newsgroups: net.sources
< Subject: termcap to terminfo translator
< Message-ID: <83 at gitpyr.UUCP>
< Date: 30 Jan 85 20:42:01 GMT
< Organization: Georgia Tech, Atlanta
< 
< The following is a program that converts termcap database files to terminfo
< source files.  It reads the termcap file from standard input and writes the
< terminfo source to standard output.  I tried to be as complete as possible,
< but I wasn't able to implement some things due to ambiguous documentation.
< The unimplemented parts are in the %-escapes.  I wasn't sure about some
< of the more exotic termcap %-escapes like '%B'.  However, things like '%c',
< '%d', '%2d' and '%+' are implemented.

The captoinfo program within the toolchest has NO relationship to the public
domain captoinfo program other than the name and similar functionality. It
came out internally BEFORE Robert's captoinfo had been written, explaining
the conflict of names.

The AT&T captoinfo provides more capabilities than Robert's. For instance,
it does properly convert things like %B, %n, %D, ko=, ma=, etc. (There is no
%2d in termcap, by the way. It is %2.) It also points out numerous errors
within the termcap source. It even has a version of termcap.c with fewer
bugs in it that the one within 4.xBSD.

The AT&T captoinfo program will be available as part of UNIX System Vr3. I
think it should have been offered free to the public since it really should
have been available in UNIX System Vr2. Either that or sent out free as part
of a maintenance release to all Vr2 licences. (Maintenance release? What's
that?)

I'm sure Robert's program does a fine job, within the limitations mentioned
by him. Since I have never used it, I cannot comment further on it.

					Tony Hansen
					ihnp4!pegasus!hansen