Re: uniform input device packets?

Mathieu Bouchard (boum01@UQAH.UQuebec.CA)
Thu, 25 Jun 1998 06:39:39 -0400 (EDT)


> The system using /dev/tty can also work on a distant terminal
> after a rlogin... you do not know even if /dev/keyboard exists.

if you want to do such a thing, let us prepare our layer, and then add
the possibility to use it through the /dev/tty and stuff. Not restricting
it to /dev/keyboard or such might introduce security problems though, and
most of all, I consider that "normal" applications shouldn't be using
/dev/keyboard directly.

> It is also defined in the kernel (Alt Fn) and in the "screen"
> package and the "split" utility. You really want to add another
> standard ? It is already so complex that nobody wants to dive
> into it !

It is worth discussing about the device-type and device-number thing, and
drop one of the two...

> Midnight Commander uses the mouse, and a lot of editors could
> also if there was one simple system, available in text and graphic
> mode (transparently). The VT1200 system is simple enought to
> manage text-mode menus with mouse on a 9600 baud line.

What about "X for text-mode"? There already exists a widget system for
curses, though.

> Yes, but you reach the printer which is "attached", i.e. near the
> user keyboard, even with a 3 level rlogin through a Vax.

see security issues. if you want access to the printer, write: cat|lp, or
something similar.

> using differences between Linux console and VT100 standard. There
> is still legal problems.
> It is indeed not related to your proposed system.

heavily unrelated. I cannot reply to most of your message while keeping
in mind our project, simply because it's not related. So I'd like to keep
the thing to a minimum and then you'll do all the clever things you wish
on the top of it.

> A so old story, I didn't see the very first beginning, but so much
> cleanning has to be done there - years of work, just to be able to
> cleanly manage the ESC key of PCs !
> So for me, when you say "let's add another layer", I become quite
> nervous.

For normal applications, it wouldn't even matter, it would just cut some
duplicate stuff out of svgalib/X/gpm/dosemu and friends, and make them a
little less dangerous as well.

> Note: I did not received any linux-kernel E-mail for two days...

i've received like 250 of them...

matju

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