* There is no distinct "pad" concept (these are NCURSES `WINDOW`s created with
the `newpad()` function). All drawable surfaces can exceed the display size.
* Multiple threads can freely call into notcurses, so long as they're not
* Multiple threads can freely call into Notcurses, so long as they're not
accessing the same data. In particular, it is always safe to concurrently
mutate different `ncplane`s in different threads.
* NCURSES has thread-ignorant and thread-semi-safe versions, trace-enabled and
@ -251,10 +251,10 @@ to implement".
Do you really want to do such a thing? NCURSES and the Curses API it implements
are far more portable and better-tested than Notcurses is ever likely to be.
Will your program really benefit from notcurses's advanced features? If not,
Will your program really benefit from Notcurses's advanced features? If not,
it's probably best left as it is.
Otherwise, most NCURSES concepts have clear partners in notcurses. Any functions
Otherwise, most NCURSES concepts have clear partners in Notcurses. Any functions
making implicit use of `stdscr` ought be replaced with their explicit
equivalents. `stdscr` ought then be replaced with the result of
`notcurses_stdplane()` (the standard plane). `PANEL`s become `ncplane`s; the
@ -288,8 +288,10 @@ These are pretty obvious, implementation-wise.
## Environment notes
* If your `TERM` variable is wrong, or that terminfo definition is out-of-date,
you're going to have a very bad time. Use *only* the `TERM` values
appropriate for your terminal.
you're going to have a very bad time. Use *only*`TERM` values appropriate
for your terminal. If this variable is undefined, or Notcurses can't load the
specified Terminfo entry, it will refuse to start, and you will
[not be going to space today](https://xkcd.com/1133/).
* Ensure your `LANG` environment variable is set to a UTF8-encoded locale, and
that this locale has been generated. This usually means
@ -302,14 +304,8 @@ These are pretty obvious, implementation-wise.
* If your terminal has an option about default interpretation of "ambiguous-width
characters" (this is actually a technical term from Unicode), ensure it is
set to **Wide**, not narrow. If that doesn't work, ensure it is set to
**Narrow**, heh.
* If you can disable BiDi in your terminal, do so while running notcurses
applications, until I have that handled better. Notcurses doesn't recognize
the BiDi state machine transitions, and thus merrily continues writing
left-to-right. Likewise, ultra-wide glyphs will have interesting effects.
﷽!
set to **Wide**, not narrow (if that doesn't work, ensure it is set to
**Narrow**, heh).
* The unit tests assume dimensions of at least 80x24. They might work in a
smaller terminal. They might not. Don't file bugs on it.
@ -385,6 +381,8 @@ to breaking under incorrect `TERM` values. If you're not using `xterm`, your
* **Q:** Given that the glyph channel is initialized as transparent for a plane, shouldn't the foreground and background be initialized as transparent, also? **A:** Probably (they are instead initialized to default opaque). This would change some of the most longstanding behavior of Notcurses, though, so it isn't happening.
* **Q:** Why does my right-to-left text appear left-to-right? **A:** Notcurses doesn't honor the BiDi state machine, and in fact forces left-to-right with BiDi codes. Likewise, ultra-wide glyphs will have interesting effects. ﷽!
## Supplemental material
### Useful links
@ -439,7 +437,7 @@ to breaking under incorrect `TERM` values. If you're not using `xterm`, your
* 2019-12-18: Notcurses [0.9.0 "You dig in! You dig out! You get out!"](https://github.com/dankamongmen/notcurses/releases/tag/v0.9.0),
and also the first contributor besides myself (@grendello). Last major pre-GA release.
* 2019-12-05: Notcurses [0.4.0 "TRAP MUSIC ALL NIGHT LONG"](https://github.com/dankamongmen/notcurses/releases/tag/v0.4.0),
the first generally usable notcurses.
the first generally usable Notcurses.
* I prepare a [demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEv2YRyiEVM), and release it on YouTube.
* November 2019: I begin work on [Outcurses](https://github.com/dankamongmen/ncreels).
Outcurses is a collection of routines atop NCURSES, including ncreels.
@ -474,7 +472,7 @@ to breaking under incorrect `TERM` values. If you're not using `xterm`, your
with support, and pointed out the useful memstream functionality of
POSIX, eliminating the need for me to cons up something similar.
* I one night read the entirety of Lexi Summer Hale's [essays](http://xn--rpa.cc/irl/index.html),
and woke up intending to write notcurses.
and began implementing her vision the next morning.
* NES art was lifted from [The Spriters Resource](https://www.spriters-resource.com/nes/)
and [NES Sprite](http://nes-sprite.resampled.ru/), the kind of sites that
make the Internet great. It probably violates any number of copyrights. C'est la vie.
nick black
3 years ago