Re: linux 2.6.26 vt back_color_erase

["Alexander V. Lukyanov" <lav@netis.ru>]

On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 01:22:08PM -0400, Jan Engelhardt wrote:
> >> Current linux kernel has broken bce semantics. Now insert_line and
> >> delete_line clear the new lines with default color and not with the
> >> current background as they should, and what is expected by ncurses.
> 
> I beg to differ. The Linux VT now does exactly what an xterm does,

I have just tested again: my xterm does erase new lines with current color,
just as linux console before the change. My xterm version: XTerm(196).
Please test yours and check the version. Also, please test other terminals
with bce terminfo attribute. I have tested putty and it also erases new
lines with default colors. And gnome-terminal too.

> namely that newly inserted lines do not get filled with the
> background color. And I consider that the right thing, because it
> does not leave ugly color patches lying on your screen when `ls -l`
> overruns the screen width, and someone decided to use a background
> color for his filenames.

Probably color ls -l is just broken and should be fixed. Why was it
necessary to change the console color semantics that was there for years?

> ncurses should not expect anything. Except what is in terminfo.
> Do we need a terminfo db update for the "linux" term?

Sure, unless the change is reverted. The bce attribute will need to be
disabled, which is a pity as it saves traffic for color full screen
applications. And changing terminfo is very inconvenient for remote logins.

-- 
   Alexander.