From: Ingo Schwarze <schwarze@usta.de>
Subject: Re: wscons 256 colour support
To: Theo de Raadt <deraadt@openbsd.org>
Cc: tech@openbsd.org
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2025 18:23:19 +0200

Hello,

Theo de Raadt wrote on Wed, Jul 09, 2025 at 08:58:39AM -0600:
> Stuart Henderson <stu@spacehopper.org> wrote:
>> On 2025/07/08 18:18, Ingo Schwarze wrote:

>>> I see.  Maybe the world is slowly, very slowly, moving towards a state
>>> where termcap/terminfo becomes obsolete (wouldn't be surpring; actual
>>> hardware terminals obviously aren't common any more).  If that happens,
>>> some standard might eventually emerge, and likely TERM=xterm is the
>>> closest we have so far to such a standard...

>> A disappointing amount of console based software aimed at unix-like
>> systems is just hardcoding ECMA-48 type escape sequences these days :(

> We can fight against the trend, or we can fight in the same direction
> as the trend.

These two options are not even mutually exclusive.
We can aim to support a sane subset of ISO/IEC 6429 in our terminals
and consoles, yet correctly use termcap/terminfo in our own software
as long as termcap/terminfo still exists.

While in general, we strive for the improved Postel law (Be strict in
what you accept, and equally strict in what you send), having our
terminals and consoles advertise modes and operate in modes that
careless people assume without even asking seems like a win-win.

Yours,
  Ingo