Category : C++ Source Code
Archive   : CURSESP.ZIP
Filename : README

PC curses 1.3+ or 1.4+ ?

The version number will be determined later
This copy is only a quick HACK. It will get
better soon. Please send comments back to me.

I have got a lot of responses from the net of people interested
in PC curses. However I also learn a few weird things

- Bjorn Larsson the original author who ported the UNIX
curses to the PC has died suddenly in Sept 91 of illness.
Well I am saddened about this.

- There are PC curses 1.4 and beta of 1.5 (never released,
by an American ?) and this American folk is working on his
version 2.0 (not released either) promising to support
deskview.

- There is an Australian folk in Brisbane helping the above
American friend to build a colour scheme.

- I have spent only 3 days fixing up this package. Be ware that
there are better beta versions out there if you know where to
hunt. If you find them please do let me know.

The information has confused me. Where do I fit into the picture ?
But my interest is largely in C++ which the other two are not
doing, so that could be where this PC curses is heading to. I hope
to join the other two and possibly other silent workers to get one
single powerful pc curses package.

What extra features do you get from this HACK of PC curses ?
============================================================

* This copy of PC curses was hacked from PC curses 1.3 then
I discovered PC curses 1.4 in simtel-20. I quickly added
the changes in. So it is now theoretically up-to-date with
1.4 from Bjorn Larsson. Here are the extra bits.

- You get a fairly ANSI-C compatible package. It will compile
with BorlandC++ with no warnings!

- You can compile C++ programs with it (please read hints.txt)

- You have a scheme of EGA/VGA colours which is easy to use
because I like simple things.

- You get a demo program which demonstrate what curses do best.
This is the ability to update screen fast when little changes
are made every where in your windows. However painting a
brand new window is SLOW ! Other guys are working on this.
I am waitting for them do get it faster.

- I also tidy up the makefile. Now there is only one makefile for
TurboC++/BorlandC++. MSC users will have to write their own
from the idea in the Makefile. It is esentially compiling all
the *.c files and archive them into a library.

Future C++ enhancements
-----------------------
I would love to get comments from the users about things that
can be done. I can see interesting concepts like the following :

- An C++ class object call view_window. To display a file for
users to read, you simply drop the file name into the object.
- A Logo window object, you drop a filename in and give it
a number of seconds. The logo will be displayed for the number
of seconds and disappear.
- A clock object. You call it any time and tell it where you
want it. A digital clock will be display on a corner of your
screen.

These are only examples of useful Object Oriented C++ classes for
curses. I am not interested in a full blown menu management library
just interesting and handy things.

Here are the files in the package

- README : this file itself
- CURSES.MAN : Original manual text by Bjorn Larsson
- README.DOC : Original README text by Bjorn Larsson
- HINTS.TXT : Some hints
- CHANGES.TXT : Changes I made to the PC curses 1.3
- COLOURS.TXT : Description of EGA/VGA colours
- All *.c files : the source files
- All *.lib files : pre-compiled libraries in all models
- Curses.h : header file for C and C++
- Makefile : Makefile for TurboC++ / BorlandC++
- rm.com : a good profram to remove files
+ Demo.c/.exe : A demo program written for ANSI-C
+ Demo-pp.cpp/.exe : The same demo program for Borland's C++

Installation notes
------------------
Simply copy all the *.lib files to where your libraries are kept.
Copy curses.h to where your C header files are kept or keep it where
you are writting you own program.

Now just use curses the way you always do. If you are new to curses
you have to struggle a bit. Reading the curses.man file is the starting
place, then the demo programs.

You may want to recompile the package if you have TurboC++ or
BorlandC++. Just type make and everything will hopefully be alright.
If you have different compiler say MSC, modify the makefile for it.
All the objects file names are in curses.cmd

Type make clean when you finish. This will clean the object files
out to give back disk space.