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From: Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: xterm rlwrap sbcl
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2024 03:06:06 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: Some absurd concept
Message-ID: <eli$2412122205@qaz.wtf>
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In comp.unix.questions, Salvador Mirzo  <smirzo@example.com> wrote:
> I know next to nothing about terminals.  My .profile says TERM=xterm.
> 
> $ echo $TERM
> xterm
> 
> I really am running PuTTY on Windows and logging in to a FreeBSD system.

It sounds to me like the terminal definition (terminfo or termcap as
appropriate to FreeBSD) disagrees with the terminal implementation
(Putty here). This is a not uncommon thing to happen.

I would first see if there are Putty preferences that fix this.

Second see if it could be fixed with an intermediary that grabs terminal
output from the shell programs and rewrites before it gets to Putty.
Tools like tmux or screen will do that.

Third I'd try to fix the terminal definition. Using script to capture
the output of the terminal programs with all terminal escape codes
intact, I'd examine that output to look for cause of the bad formatting
and then search the terminal definition (terminfo or termcap) for the
terminal "capability" that causes the issue and fix or remove it.

Most capabilities are "nice to haves" instead of "required" so just
removing them doesn't break things. But editing those definitions is
not for the faint of heart. That's why the intermediary programs
rewriting things "works".

Elijah
------
got into customizing termcaps with the Televideo 925 (TERM=tvi-925)