[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: Bug#519339: ITP: tmux -- an alternative to screen, licensed under 3-BSD



On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 10:37:41PM +0100, Karl Ferdinand Ebert wrote:

> > The short description should stand on its own, not reference other
> > software.
> 
> The short description had been "terminal multiplexer" from the first packaging 
> attempts but I did not know it had to be the line in the bug report.

The title of the ITP is OK.

> description is extended with details from the FAQ:
> 
> * How is tmux different from GNU screen? What else does it offer?
> 
> tmux offers several advantages over screen:
> 
> - a clearly-defined client-server model: windows are independent entities 
> which
>   may be attached simultaneously to multiple sessions and viewed from multiple
>   clients (terminals), as well as moved freely between sessions within the 
> same tmux server;

I do not really see anything here that screen can't do... 

> - a consistent, well-documented command interface, with the same syntax
>   whether used interactively, as a key binding, or from the shell;

This is something screen also has.

> - easily scriptable from the shell;

You can also script screen from the shell.

> - multiple paste buffers;

Screen has a single so-called pastebuffer but allows you to easily move it to
and from "registers" or named files, effectively giving you multiple paste
buffers.

> - choice of vim or emacs key layouts;

Screen has both vi and emacs style bindings, some work concurrently.

> - an option to limit the window size;

Also something screen can do.

> - a more usable status line syntax, with the ability to display the first line
>   of output of a specific command;

I don't know about that.

> - a cleaner, modern, easily extended, BSD-licensed codebase.

That is not an important feature for binary packages of course, but you can
mention this.

Almost all of these "advantages over screen" are "features shared with screen".
Maybe some of them are a bit easier to use in tmux, but that is all as far is I
can see. I would therefore not mention these things in the long description.

-- 
Met vriendelijke groet / with kind regards,
      Guus Sliepen <guus@debian.org>

Attachment: signature.asc
Description: Digital signature


Reply to: