Re: [dev] [PATCH] Simplify README

From: Weldon Goree <weldon_AT_langurwallah.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 18:34:53 +0530

On Mon, 2014-08-18 at 12:58 +0200, Claudio wrote:
> AFAIK a terminal is an hardware device. Since st is only a software
> implementation it's ok to call it a virtual terminal emulator, isn't?
>

A virtual terminal presents the kernel the capabilities of a physical
terminal (eg, /dev/tty3 or /dev/pts/1). A terminal emulator attaches
input and output to a virtual terminal (though these programs are often
called "virtual terminals" as well).

A "virtual terminal emulator" would either be a virtual (terminal
emulator) or a (virtual terminal) emulator. In the first case, it would
be something like an expect script that makes a guest program think it
is running in a terminal emulator. In the second case, it would be some
sort of environment that, for instance, intercepted i/o to /dev/pts/*
and mangled it somehow.

The point is, st could be called a terminal emulator, or (somewhat more
loosely) a virtual terminal, but it's not a virtual terminal emulator
outside of the Department of Redundancy Department.

WG
Received on Mon Aug 18 2014 - 15:04:53 CEST