From: Martin Weber <Ephaeton@...>
Date: 2002-07-28T01:50:01+09:00
Subject: Re: curses dev kit, was Re: [OT] Re: GUI's and the Rouge

On Sat, Jul 27, 2002 at 11:23:06PM +0900, Massimiliano Mirra wrote:
> On Sat, Jul 27, 2002 at 06:23:26AM +0900, Martin Weber wrote:
> > > No, it's much easier: mouse support in console is essential for you
> > > and optional for me.
> > > 
> > > File.chmod won't work in Windows 98, yet we're both programming in
> > > Ruby.  Why?  Because the object of non portability is optional to both
> > > of us.
>  
> > File.chmod will work on solaris, AIX, *BSD, Mac OS X etc. too.
> > 
> > That library most probably won't. Curses will.
>                     ^^^^^^^^
> 
> That's the point: you don't know.  Ground criticism of a software on
> facts instead of prejudices, and I'll gladly thank you for what will
> be a useful warning.

Okay, how about this. I was getting that piece of library, and after some
hacking to the configure scripts of both libctk and libarr it would even
start compiling. And now we come to the point I mentioned: "Unix" software
including "linux" headers. Want a taste ?

gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I. -I/home/phaeton/tmp/include -g3 -O2 -DNDEBUG -Wall -I.. -I/usr/pkg/include/glib/glib-1.2 -I/usr/pkg/lib/glib/include -c ctkmain.c -Wp,-MD,.deps/ctkmain.TPlo  -fPIC -DPIC -o .libs/ctkmain.lo
ctkmain.c:42: linux/vt.h: No such file or directory
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
gmake[2]: *** [ctkmain.lo] Error 1
gmake[2]: Leaving directory `/alt/space/tmp/libctk/libctk-3.0.25/ctk'
gmake[1]: *** [all] Error 2
gmake[1]: Leaving directory `/alt/space/tmp/libctk/libctk-3.0.25/ctk'
gmake: *** [all-recursive] Error 1

Now happy ?

If you aren't spend a second view on the ctkmain.c:42 line above.

My system doesn't have a vt.h, in fact my system (NetBSD) handles
virtual terminals way different from linux. And if I see a library
which already requires linux specific stuff... (interesting warning
from the configure: 

configure: error: libctk really recommends gpm - disable with '--disable-gpm' if you really know what you're doing
)

...then it's no prejudice to expect it not to work on non linux platforms.
I have met more than one so called "unix" software (lib/app) which only
works on linux. But hey, guess you will want me to get a precompiled
lib and use it on my system's binary linux emulation instead ? Fine, *I*
can do that, most probably. The picture changes for those solaris, AIX, etc.
users out there. As I said, even there will be a curses.

-Martin