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Previous: 42.4 Checklist for Resetting a Messed Up Terminal Chapter 42
Problems with Terminals
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42.5 Checklist: Screen Size Messed Up?

The termcap and terminfo (5.2) systems used to be the only place where the size of your terminal screen (number of lines and characters) was set. These days, screen-oriented commands like vi and more on most UNIXes need to work with window systems. Users can shrink or stretch their windows without changing the termcap or terminfo definition. Depending on the command and version of UNIX you're using, you can run into window-size problems even if you aren't using a window system.

Window systems don't cause all the problems though. "Classic" problems, such as files with lines that are longer than the terminal is wide, were around before UNIX did windows.

Here's a checklist of things to try. Once you figure out what's wrong and how to fix it on your terminal and version of UNIX, you'll probably be able to fix problems with other programs you run.

- JP


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