Why in the world /etc/ttys has xterm over native cons25???

[loveydovey]

Why would /etc/ttys have xterm for virtual terminals when FreeBSD is sporting is own native cons25??? This seems crazy.

pkg uninstall xterm (and xorg as a dependency) and xterm cons25

But the question is WHY?

 

[Charlie_]

The 25 in cons25 refers to 25 lines.
It is outdated.

 

[loveydovey]

Anything is better than xterm tbh.

 

[SirDice]

Anything is better than xterm tbh.

What's wrong with xterm termcap(5)?

 

[loveydovey]

If it's just referencing some stuff and xterm doesn't have to be installed then, I think, nothing wrong with it?

 

[T-Aoki]

If it's just referencing some stuff and xterm doesn't have to be installed then, I think, nothing wrong with it?

termcap is the database to define what control sequences to be used for connected terminals.

Not only for console of the computer itself or terminal "emulator"s running on the computer, but also for ancient non-X11 / non-Wayland character only terminals connected via serial, TCP/IP, tokenring and so on, for example, VT100.

These ancient physical terminals often had their own control sequences, as standardizations are done afterwards. (If I recall correctly, many terminals were compatible with VT100, though.) So Unix (including original BSD) needed to determine (with manual configuration or autodetect if possible) the model of connected terminal and output using control sequences for it.
termcap was created as the database of control sequences to map what Unix wants to what actual terminal supports.

So xterm is just one of the candidates. No need to install xterm.
Do you forced to purchase and connect VT100 because it's in termcap?
No. That's it.

 

[loveydovey]

Ok, I guess that's good. My eyes bleed though at anything X anyway.

 

[SirDice]

The xterm(1) application is in essence a terminal emulator.