
This is README for Linux/UNIX BIEW users. Please read this file carefully!

BIEW can use slang or curses screen library, so it is possible to (well,
at least to try :) run it on all platforms supported by these libraries.

I have tested this release with following OS'es on IA32:

    Linux 2.0/2.2	(slang, curses, vt100, direct console : ok)
    FreeBSD 3.2		(slang, curses: ok)
    BeOS 4.5		(vt100: awful, but it's possible to see something :)

Please send me (un)successful reports of trying BIEW
on other OS'es and hardware platforms!

Suggestions/feedback/bugreports/etc are gladly accepted.

Maintainer of Linux/UNIX BIEW is Konstantin Boldyshev <konst@linuxassembly.org>


UNIX specific features of BIEW
------------------------------

1)  Key modifiers are mapped as:

	CTRL+A - ALT
	CTRL+C - CTRL
	CTRL+S - SHIFT

    i.e. pressing CTRL+A in acts as holding down ALT, and so on.
    CTRL+Z resets modifiers to defaults. Modifiers are also reseted
    after any function key is pressed.

2)  There are some limitations on output, i.e. you can't see all characters
    as they are (output is filtered to avoid unexpected behavior).

3)  It is possible to use 7bit output.

4)  Configuration file is ~/.biewrc, not biew.ini.


Known issues
------------

On Linux you need to load koi2alt screen map if you want pseudographics
to be displayed correctly when using VT100 and curses versions.
Also, ascii table (SHIFT+F6) can be displayed incorrectly without koi2alt.
So, if your pseudographics is screwed, issue:
$ mapscrn koi2alt
and be happy. This will change in future versions
(there will be no need to load this screen map).

When using VT100 version on xterm 7bit mode is FORCED (for safety).
This also will change in future versions.


Linux
-----

Current Linux version of biew supports two work modes:
console and vt100 compatible terminal. Console version
can act EXACTLY as dos/os2/win32 version, this means
that you can't switch virtual consoles by pressing ALT+Fx,
because these keys are used by BIEW -- use CTRL+ALT+Fx
combination for that purpose.

Terminal mode should work on any vt100 compatible terminal.

Linux console version uses:

- scan codes (not keystrokes)
- direct video output via /dev/vcsa

Console mode has major disadvantage on 2.0 kernels: if it hangs
keyboard you can't do anything, except pressing reset (certainly
you can terminate it remotely from other machine on network, or
through terminal connected to serial port); on 2.2 you can simply
use magic SysRq key to terminate it.

IMPORTANT! Console mode is invoked only if:

1) "Direct console access" flag is enabled (F9);
2) you run biew on pure VT

in any other terminal mode is used.


Compiling the source
--------------------

You will need GNU make and gcc.

Edit makefile and choose CONFIG_I386 (or higher) for IA32, or CONFIG_GENERIC
for other hardware platform. Then choose CONFIG_UNIX, or, if you want Linux
direct console version, CONFIG_LINUX.

Edit makefile.inc and decide what you want: slang(USE_SLANG),
curses(USE_CURSES) or vt100(USE_VT100). If possible, do use
slang. If not, fallback to curses. If your system lacks any
of these screen libraries, you can try direct vt100 emulation.
Warning: only one of these options can be enabled at a time!

Do not change compiler parameters at the end of makefile.inc,
or all sorts of weirdness can happen.

And finally, happy hacking :)

Konstantin Boldyshev <konst@linuxassembly.org>


ChangeLog (Linux/UNIX)
----------------------

5.0.3

- xterm mouse reporting, added window caption in xterm
- cursor is no longer lost on exit
- correct handling of COLORTERM
- other minor bugfixes

5.0.2

- first slang version
- transparent background on Eterm
- Linux console: added vt switching through CTRL+ALT+Fx
- vt100: keyboard management rewritten
- pseudographics problems solved
- 7bit output
- directories are no longer opened as files
- various improvements & fixes

5.0.1

- Linux console: added CTRL+O, uppercase letters/numbers support
- separate handles for input and output
- dynamic memory allocation for output
- different minor bugfixes and improvements

5.0.0

- first curses version
- completely rewritten keyboard management (max performance)
- VT100: screwed video output fixed
- Linux console: 'w' bug fixed


TODO:

- mouse support (gpm and slang)
- major rewrite (make console functions pluggable,
  lots of cleanups, rearrangements, etc, etc)
