[Debconf-devel] Bug#557019: Problems with ANSI-colors

[Juhapekka Tolvanen]

Package: debconf
Version: 1.5.28
Severity: important

dpkg-reconfigure has these problems with ANSI-colorsi, when using
dialog-frontend:

1) It can not reliably detect, if current terminal type can support
colors.

2) There is no way to force usage of ANSI-colors (just like option -c in
mc (Midnight Commander)). I checked both "man dpkg-reconfigure" and
"dpkg-reconfigure -h".

3) When it starts without ANSI-colors, it unsuccesfully tries to use
color differences in order to show pointer. I am mean chosen entry has
red background. I am quite sure that even when ANSI-color support works,
some color-blind people may be very upset.

Here are screenshots that demonstrate that problem:

http://iki.fi/juhtolv/tmp/bugreports/debconf/01/

In that screenshot called dpkg-reconfigure_xterm-256color.png I run
dpkg-reconfigure under xterm that uses terminal type called xterm-256color.

In that screenshot dpkg-reconfigure_screen-256color-s.png I run
dpkg-reconfigure under GNU screen that runs under xterm and terminal
type is screen-256color-s . I'd like to use terminal type
screen-256color-bce-s , but it is not possible because of bug #491812 .


-- System Information:
Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (990, 'stable'), (500, 'testing-proposed-updates'), (500, 'proposed-updates'), (101, 'testing'), (99, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.31-1-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=fi_FI.utf8, LC_CTYPE=fi_FI.utf8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages debconf depends on:
ii  debconf-i18n                  1.5.28     full internationalization support 
ii  perl-base                     5.10.1-7   minimal Perl system

Versions of packages debconf recommends:
ii  apt-utils                     0.7.22.2   APT utility programs

Versions of packages debconf suggests:
ii  debconf-doc               1.5.28         debconf documentation
ii  debconf-utils             1.5.28         debconf utilities
ii  dialog                    1.1-20080819-1 Displays user-friendly dialog boxe
ii  gnome-utils               2.26.0-1       GNOME desktop utilities
ii  libgnome2-perl            1.042-2        Perl interface to the GNOME librar
pn  libnet-ldap-perl          <none>         (no description available)
ii  libterm-readline-gnu-perl 1.19-2         Perl extension for the GNU Readlin
ii  perl                      5.10.1-7       Larry Wall's Practical Extraction 
ii  whiptail                  0.52.10-4      Displays user-friendly dialog boxe

-- debconf information:
  debconf-apt-progress/title:
  debconf-apt-progress/info:
* debconf/priority: low
  debconf-apt-progress/preparing:
  debconf-apt-progress/media-change:
* debconf/frontend: Dialog


-- 
Juhapekka "naula" Tolvanen * http colon slash slash iki dot fi slash juhtolv
"Quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur."