On Thu, 21 Nov 2002, Axel C. Frinke wrote:
> AB> Under DOS you have one system codepage and you _can't_ have other
> AB> simultaneous fonts [for different code pages]. This is nature of text modes,
> AB> only some _applications_ may support in graphics mode some different fonts.
>
> I don't understand this. Can't you use CHCP to switch between
> codepages?
The problem is that many DOS apps write directly to video memory and
expect the box drawing characters to be at certain places.
For instance,
B3 179 9474 BOX DRAWINGS LIGHT VERTICAL
is at 179 for cp437, cp850, cp860, cp866 and others too, but not for
ISO8859-x.
iso8859-1 has the SUPERSCRIPT 3 there and koi8-r has CYRILLIC CAPITAL
LETTER IO there. This means that once you start using one of these fonts
many of the boxes you'll see will look strange indeed ...
with cp850 vs. cp437 you already lose the mixed double/single box drawing
characters, but these aren't used as often as the non-mixed ones.
So it is not so much the nature of text mode, but more an artifact of the
direct-video approach. If all text mode apps would write using, say, ANSI
sequences (fast enough with NANSI.SYS) then the ANSI driver could do the
translation. But the MSDOS ANSI.SYS was slow and not loaded by default so
DOS programs opted for the direct video approach, sacrificing portability
and the ability to use serial terminals ("ctty com1").
You *can* chcp but it's really an either/or approach: either you have
messed up text boxes or you can read your iso8859-1 text without
translation.
Bart
----------
list options/archives/etc.: http://www.topica.com/lists/fd-dev
unsubscribe: send blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
==^================================================================
This email was sent to: [email protected]
EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Rv5.bbRv4l.YXJjaGl2
Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================
