Questions on termcap suggestions

[Dan Mahoney, System Admin]

On Sun, 24 Jul 2005, Gary W. Swearingen wrote:

>> I'm sending this through so someone may find it in the future and
>> save themself some effort.
>
> Good of you to try to document it; I wish I knew where else it could
> go. I wonder if there should be a wiki-type knowledge base for things
> like that.
>
>> Related: In searching around I've also found a teeny tiny little
>> program called lpansi that allows you to cat a file to your local
>> printer. Shouldn't something like this be in the base, or in ports?
>> I found things like birthstone references and what certain flowers
>> mean in /usr/share/misc, why not a useful "print" command?
>
> It's easy to guess why not: the developers who've paid their dues (or
> otherwise got their clout), and so control the contents of the base
> OS, haven't been convinced to put it in.  You could write a PR
> proposing the addition, but you'd have better luck volunteering to
> make a port for it.

My logic in ports is that a port would be well suited for things that are 
either differently licensed (gpl, for example)...or because they 
significantly bloat the OS.  This is 20 lines of code, a makefile, and 
a well-made manpage.  I've contacted the author about the license.

Aparently this util was included with lynx for a time but printing is now 
handled internally.  Pine also includes a util that does it (not named the 
same), but it's not compiled by the pine port.

> As for "cruft" in the OS, a PR on the subject would be more likely to
> encourage some cleanup than any comments in -questions.  Removing
> cruft can often be more work than adding it, so it tends to take
> plenty of encouragement, or volunteer work.

Heh, no, I *like* cruft.  I think it's cooly eclectic.  Besides, who 
*hasn't* used pom(1) to decide if a backup isn't a good idea?

-Dan

--

"Blargy Frap!"

-mtreal, efnet #macintosh channel, 8.10.98, Approx 3AM


--------Dan Mahoney--------
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