ncurses 6.4 - patch 20240414

[ncurses.git] / README

diff --git a/README b/README
index c46fc195ac5b397ca6471eedc0b22da90bcaee7a..5587f5b70bce7edf4e6f4450d7ac6ad288036cf6 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -1,4 +1,32 @@
--- $Id: README,v 1.20 2000/08/12 23:31:21 tom Exp $
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+-- Copyright 2020-2021,2023 Thomas E. Dickey                                 --
+-- Copyright 1998-2012,2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.                   --
+--                                                                           --
+-- Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a   --
+-- copy of this software and associated documentation files (the             --
+-- "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including       --
+-- without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,       --
+-- distribute, distribute with modifications, sublicense, and/or sell copies --
+-- of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished  --
+-- to do so, subject to the following conditions:                            --
+--                                                                           --
+-- The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included   --
+-- in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.                    --
+--                                                                           --
+-- THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS   --
+-- OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF                --
+-- MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN --
+-- NO EVENT SHALL THE ABOVE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,       --
+-- DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR     --
+-- OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE --
+-- USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.                                    --
+--                                                                           --
+-- Except as contained in this notice, the name(s) of the above copyright    --
+-- holders shall not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the      --
+-- sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written        --
+-- authorization.                                                            --
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+-- $Id: README,v 1.31 2023/10/28 14:49:04 tom Exp $

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                README file for the ncurses package
 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                README file for the ncurses package
 


@@ -7,18 +35,19 @@ See the file INSTALL for instructions on how to build and install ncurses.
 See the file NEWS for a release history and bug-fix notes.
 See the file TO-DO for things that still need doing, including known bugs.
 
 See the file NEWS for a release history and bug-fix notes.
 See the file TO-DO for things that still need doing, including known bugs.
 

-Browse the file misc/ncurses-intro.html for narrative descriptions of how
+Browse the file doc/html/ncurses-intro.html for narrative descriptions of how

 to use ncurses and the panel, menu, and form libraries.
 to use ncurses and the panel, menu, and form libraries.

- 
+

 Browse the file doc/html/hackguide.html for a tour of the package internals.
 
 Browse the file doc/html/hackguide.html for a tour of the package internals.
 

+Find plain text versions of both of these documents in doc/.
+

 ROADMAP AND PACKAGE OVERVIEW:
 
 You should be reading this file in a directory called:  ncurses-d.d, where d.d
 is the current version number (see the dist.mk file in this directory for
 that).  There should be a number of subdirectories, including `c++', `form',
 ROADMAP AND PACKAGE OVERVIEW:
 
 You should be reading this file in a directory called:  ncurses-d.d, where d.d
 is the current version number (see the dist.mk file in this directory for
 that).  There should be a number of subdirectories, including `c++', `form',

-`man', `menu', `misc', `ncurses', `panel', `progs', `test', 'tack' and `Ada95'. 
-(The 'tack' program may be distributed separately).
+`man', `menu', `misc', `ncurses', `panel', `progs', `test', and `Ada95'.

 
 A full build/install of this package typically installs several libraries, a
 handful of utilities, and a database hierarchy.  Here is an inventory of the
 
 A full build/install of this package typically installs several libraries, a
 handful of utilities, and a database hierarchy.  Here is an inventory of the


@@ -43,27 +72,39 @@ The libraries are:
        libform.so         (shared)
        libform_g.a        (debug enabled)
 
        libform.so         (shared)
        libform_g.a        (debug enabled)
 

+If you configure using the --enable-widec option, a "w" is appended to the
+library names (e.g., libncursesw.a), and the resulting libraries support
+wide-characters, e.g., via a UTF-8 locale.  The corresponding header files
+are compatible with the non-wide-character configuration; wide-character
+features are provided by ifdef's in the header files.  The wide-character
+library interfaces are not binary-compatible with the non-wide-character
+version.
+
+If you configure using the --enable-reentrant option, a "t" is appended to the
+library names (e.g., libncursest.a) and the resulting libraries have a
+different binary interface, making the ncurses interface more opaque.
+

 The ncurses libraries implement the curses API.  The panel, menu and forms
 libraries implement clones of the SVr4 panel, menu and forms APIs.  The source
 code for these lives in the `ncurses', `panel', `menu', and `form' directories
 respectively.
 
 In the `c++' directory, you'll find code that defines an interface to the
 The ncurses libraries implement the curses API.  The panel, menu and forms
 libraries implement clones of the SVr4 panel, menu and forms APIs.  The source
 code for these lives in the `ncurses', `panel', `menu', and `form' directories
 respectively.
 
 In the `c++' directory, you'll find code that defines an interface to the

-curses, forms, menus and panels library packaged as C++ classes, and a demo program in C++
-to test it.  These class definition modules are not installed by the 'make
-install.libs' rule as libncurses++.
+curses, forms, menus and panels library packaged as C++ classes, and a demo
+program in C++ to test it.  These class definition modules are not installed
+by the 'make install.libs' rule as libncurses++.

 
 In the `Ada95' directory, you'll find code and documentation for an
 Ada95 binding of the curses API, to be used with the GNAT compiler.
 This binding is built by a normal top-level `make' if configure detects
 
 In the `Ada95' directory, you'll find code and documentation for an
 Ada95 binding of the curses API, to be used with the GNAT compiler.
 This binding is built by a normal top-level `make' if configure detects

-an usable version of GNAT (3.10 or above). It is not installed automatically.
+an usable version of GNAT (3.11 or above). It is not installed automatically.

 See the Ada95 directory for more build and installation instructions and
 for documentation of the binding.
 
 To do its job, the ncurses code needs your terminal type to be set in the
 environment variable TERM (normally set by your OS; under UNIX, getty(1)
 See the Ada95 directory for more build and installation instructions and
 for documentation of the binding.
 
 To do its job, the ncurses code needs your terminal type to be set in the
 environment variable TERM (normally set by your OS; under UNIX, getty(1)

-typically does this, but you can override it in your .profile); and, it needs a
-database of terminal descriptions in which to look up your terminal type's
+typically does this, but you can override it in your .profile); and, it needs
+a database of terminal descriptions in which to look up your terminal type's

 capabilities.
 
 In older (V7/BSD) versions of curses, the database was a flat text file,
 capabilities.
 
 In older (V7/BSD) versions of curses, the database was a flat text file,


@@ -77,18 +118,19 @@ second form.
 In the `misc' directory, there is a text file terminfo.src, in editable
 terminfo format, which can be used to generate the terminfo binaries (that's
 what make install.data does).  If the package was built with the
 In the `misc' directory, there is a text file terminfo.src, in editable
 terminfo format, which can be used to generate the terminfo binaries (that's
 what make install.data does).  If the package was built with the

---enable-termcap option enabled, and the ncurses library cannot find a terminfo
-description for your terminal, it will fall back to the termcap file supplied
-with your system (which the ncurses package installation leaves strictly
-alone).
+--enable-termcap option enabled, and the ncurses library cannot find a
+terminfo description for your terminal, it will fall back to the termcap file
+supplied with your system (which the ncurses package installation leaves
+strictly alone).

 
 The utilities are as follows:
 
        tic             -- terminfo source to binary compiler
        infocmp         -- terminfo binary to source decompiler/comparator
        clear           -- emits clear-screen for current terminal
 
 The utilities are as follows:
 
        tic             -- terminfo source to binary compiler
        infocmp         -- terminfo binary to source decompiler/comparator
        clear           -- emits clear-screen for current terminal

+       tabs            -- set tabs on a terminal

        tput            -- shell-script access to terminal capabilities.
        tput            -- shell-script access to terminal capabilities.

-       toe             -- table of entries utility
+       toe             -- table of entries utility

        tset            -- terminal-initialization utility
 
 The first two (tic and infocmp) are used for manipulating terminfo
        tset            -- terminal-initialization utility
 
 The first two (tic and infocmp) are used for manipulating terminfo


@@ -108,7 +150,7 @@ help you systematically exercise the library functions.
 
 AUTHORS:
 
 
 AUTHORS:
 

-Pavel Curtis: 
+Pavel Curtis:

        wrote the original ncurses
 
 Zeyd M. Ben-Halim:
        wrote the original ncurses
 
 Zeyd M. Ben-Halim:


@@ -118,8 +160,10 @@ Thomas Dickey (maintainer for 1.9.9g through 4.1, resuming with FSF's 5.0):
        configuration scripts, porting, mods to adhere to XSI Curses in the
        areas of background color, terminal modes.  Also memory leak testing,
        the wresize, default colors and key definition extensions and numerous
        configuration scripts, porting, mods to adhere to XSI Curses in the
        areas of background color, terminal modes.  Also memory leak testing,
        the wresize, default colors and key definition extensions and numerous

-       bug fixes (more than half of those enumerated in NEWS beginning with
-       the internal release 1.8.9).
+       bug fixes -- more than half of those enumerated in NEWS beginning with
+       the internal release 1.8.9, see
+
+               https://invisible-island.net/personal/changelogs.html

 
 Florian La Roche (official maintainer for FSF's ncurses 4.2)
        Beginning with release 4.2, ncurses is distributed under an MIT-style
 
 Florian La Roche (official maintainer for FSF's ncurses 4.2)
        Beginning with release 4.2, ncurses is distributed under an MIT-style


@@ -133,8 +177,8 @@ Eric S. Raymond:
        xterm mouse support, and the ncurses test program.
 
 Juergen Pfeifer
        xterm mouse support, and the ncurses test program.
 
 Juergen Pfeifer

-       The menu and form libraries, C++ bindings for ncurses, menus, forms and
-       panels, as well as the Ada95 binding.  Ongoing support for panel.
+       The menu and form libraries, C++ bindings for ncurses, menus, forms
+       and panels, as well as the Ada95 binding.  Ongoing support for panel.

 
 CONTRIBUTORS:
 
 
 CONTRIBUTORS:
 


@@ -173,3 +217,5 @@ BUGS:
        See the INSTALL file for bug and developer-list addresses.
        The Hacker's Guide in the doc directory includes some guidelines
        on how to report bugs in ways that will get them fixed most quickly.
        See the INSTALL file for bug and developer-list addresses.
        The Hacker's Guide in the doc directory includes some guidelines
        on how to report bugs in ways that will get them fixed most quickly.

+
+-- vile:txtmode fc=78