William D. Jones <thor0...@comcast.net> wrote: > * `getty` is in fact spawning the `NetBSD (hostname) (tty?) login:` > message and prompt, correct? Then `getty` will execve `login > [user]` to ask for the password? One thing that confuses me is that > the "user" prompt from both login and getty are identical. So I > thought `getty` somehow execve's `login` to immediately show a > prompt once certain conditions (RTS/CTS control?) of the serial line > are met.
getty(8) prints the first login: prompt and reads the username to be able to look at the input and try to infer additional tty modes, iirc. E.g. when upper-case only terminals were still a thing it would check the login name for upper case letters and turn on case mapping. Then "login user" it executes asks for the password, and if you make a mistake, the next "login:" prompt is from login(1).. -uwe