Re: terminfo, function keys and linux console

[Mike Gran]

> 
> I'm not using X, this is plain linux console. I notice in /etc/termcap:
> 
> :k1=\E[[A:k2=\E[[B:k3=\E[[C:k4=\E[[D:k5=\E[[E:k6=\E[17~:\
> 
> for linux console. I tried changing these too but no effect. You mention
> editing source, but what is the point of termcap/terminfo if those entries
> get ignored and the console emits what it likes? I don't understand this at
> all. I thought the whole point of terminfo was that is was to do just that?

Yeah, you're missing the point of terminfo/termcap.

It is basically just a handy lookup table that tells you what the various 
terminals are capable of doing and what the various function keys emit when you 
press them.  

The linux console is always going to emit the same sequence of characters for 
your function keys.  <F1> is always going to have the same behavior on the 
linux console.  That basically can't be changed. [1]

The purpose of terminfo is tell you what the various consoles *do*, not to 
change how they *work*.

-Mike Gran

[1] But of course, since the linux console is open source software, if you 
really, really wanted to, you could hack up your own version of the linux 
kernel where the console did something different.  But this is not probably 
what you want to do.