Stewart <stewart.matheson / gmail.com> writes:

> On Aug 11, 4:22m, p... / informatimago.com (Pascal J. Bourguignon)
> wrote:
>> Stewart <stewart.mathe... / gmail.com> writes:
>> > Hey I compiled ruby with readline support. However when i go to IRB i
>> > just get jibbrish when i press the up arrow on my keyboard. ny
>> > suggestions?
>>
>> Identify he erminal (emulator) hat ou se nd set he ERM
>> environment variable correctly.
>>
>> If you change it, use tset to reset the terminal.
>>
>> Launch irb. eadline should use the TERM environment variable to
>> parse the right control codes from the terminal keyboard and send the
>> right control codes to the terminal screen.
>
> Not sure what you mean by "terminal (emulator)" could you explain in a
> little more detail what you mean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_terminal
http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Text-Terminal-HOWTO.html

You would use readline only when you're using the program thru a text
terminal interface.  (eg. if you use irb thru emacs run-ruby command,
then you don't need readline because you have emacs editing commands
instead).

Nowadays, the most probable is that you are actually using a terminal
emulator, that takes input from your console keyboard and displays
output in a GUI window, but still communicating with the application
thru the serial I/O device drivers like a terminal.  You still have
all the constraints of a terminal, including that of knowing exactly
what control codes are sent over the serial channel to represent key
presses, and what control codes are sent to the screen to control it
(cursor movement, character decorations, character displayed, etc).

-- 
__Pascal Bourguignon__