[Simh] SIMH console settings for escape sequence support

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2016-01-01 21:03, Paul Koning wrote:
>
>> On Dec 31, 2015, at 3:17 PM, Paul Koning <paulkoning at comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>> I've noticed that terminal handling on the SIMH console with RSTS/E was never quite right; it would not do "set terminal/inquire" and editing keys that produce escape sequences would be mangled.
>>
>> This turns out to be due to the "printable control characters" configuration setting.  Its default value does not include ESC as a printable character, so it gets discarded rather than sent to the terminal window.
>>
>> To fix this, use the following SIMH command:
>>
>> set console pchar=01000023600
>>
>> With that setting, escape sequences work properly on the console.  Something similar probably applies to other operating systems and processor types, if they use escape sequences on the console terminal.  The pchar value is octal on PDP11 and other machines that are conventionally octal; it's hex on VAX and other hex machines, so adjust the "set" command accordingly.
>
> More... it occurs to me that many operating systems and/or applications do their own filtering of control characters, so in fact a good setting for the pchar mask is all ones.  In other words, 37777777777 octal or ffffffff hex depending on the simulated machine.
>
> I wonder if that should be the default, instead of 23600.

I think it should. I have never understood the point of filtering some 
characters. That is not what happens on a real system anyway.
Could anyone explain why this exist?

	Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
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