terminfo, termcap, etc

[Earl Wallace]

[Reference to article <1119 at whuxl.UUCP> from mike at whuxl.UUCP]
...

>>-- PARICULARLY when AT&T then doesn't include the
>>sources to the terminfo descriptions. As shipped, the description for
>>the DMD5620 is noticibly broken. To fix it, I'll have to completely
>>rewrite the entire thing, since the readable (modifyable) version isn't
>>available.
>
>Give me a break.  The format is documented and easy to parse, and anyway,
>with SVR3 you get the infocmp(1) program, which dumps a terminfo entry
>in a form suitable for editing and recompiling via tic(1).  What the
>hell more do you want?  And my 5620 terminfo entry works fine (I'm using
>it right now).
>
>>Termcap isn't as expressive, perhaps, but I can write and
>>modify termcap descriptions easily.
>
>$ infocmp >file; ed file; tic file
>Real difficult.  Terminfo just beats the pants off termcap;
>the sooner termcap disappears the better.
>-- 
>						Michael Baldwin
>			(not the opinions of)	AT&T Bell Laboratories
>						{at&t}!whuxl!mike

"what the hell more do you want?" Sounds like a nasty attitude Mr.  Baldwin.
The terminfo files may be easy to parse but why should I go thru all that
bother when it's much easier for AT&T to provide a program to dump the
terminfo file?  Now we find out (from you) that AT&T does have a program
(infocmp) for the not-yet-released System V.3.  Does this mean AT&T
recognized the need for such a program?  I think it does.  So what's your
problem Mr.  Baldwin?  Why are you jumping down the throat of some
frustrated user?  This is not a good sign of your understanding of the
Customers' needs.  You do understand that (no customers = no jobs) don't
you?  You know, we really can walk across the street now, and we just may if
attitudes like yours don't improve real quick.