tset setting window size (was Re: autowrap)

[David Elliott]

In article <44409 at beno.seismo.CSS.GOV> rick at seismo.CSS.GOV (Rick Adams) writes:
>The 4.3bsd tset program sets the rows&columns if they aren't already set.
>This is probably the place to do it, as it's already mucking around with
>terminal types, etc.

Actually, it turns out that this may be the wrong place to do it.

By setting the rows and cols tty attributes, tset causes trouble for
people with terminals that can change size.  You see, tset correctly
leaves the size alone if it is already set (correct because it could be
run in an odd-sized window).  By setting the size in the first place,
tset forces you into one size.

My terminal is a Wyse 60, which can run be 24x80, 25x80, 42x80, 43x80,
24x132, and so forth.  Even lowly Wyse 75s can run in 80 or 132 column
mode.  Never mind terminals like the Ann Arbor Ambassador which has
more sizes than you can shake a stick at.

If tset just left the size alone, programs could just use what's in the
termcap entry.  Terminals would be happy and windowing systems would be
happy.  I think that adding window size to tset was overkill.

-- 
David Elliott		dce at mips.com  or  {ames,prls,pyramid,decwrl}!mips!dce