OT: colors for vi on Linux (Debian - ubuntu)

[scooter6 at gmail.com]

  One quick question for clarification...........

  Am I understanding that you installed filePro on a ubuntu box using
filePro that
  is for SCO OpenServer??

  Just trying to clarify....

  thanks

  Scott


On 7/25/08, John Esak <john.esak at 21appr.com> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Okay, I  know I'll take the flack for using this great forum to ask a
> question that seems non-filePro related.... I'll ask uit at the end of the
> next couple paragraphs.... let me try and attach some filePro basis for the
> question though... :-)  it will be lame, but hopefully informative??
>
> Okay, so OT:, and just in case anyone cares.  We have just put a great
> filePro app on "ubuntu"  Linux. This is a Debian derivative.  Everyone
> knows
> I have felt Linux to be not ready for prime time for a long time now...
> Well, releases like this latest ubuntu will change not only my mind, but
> the
> minds of lots of folks who think like me.  I mean for the Linux crowd to
> have been working for so many years and still have not come up with a
> decent
> "color" setup a la "setcolor" from SCO...  it is just crazy.
>
> Okay, the ubuntu, you download a file, burn it to a CD, use the CD on just
> about any P"C (server, etc.)... it asks you about 4 questions like "do you
> want to use the whole disk for Linux?"  even if it is a multi-disk FAID5
> that you want, and so forth.... the simple questions done in seconds, the
> thing loads itself completely on your box and it's ready to go.  From this
> point you can get or (unget) any package you want with a simple command
> like:
>
> Sudo apt-get install package-name
>
> And
>
> Sudo apt-get remove package-name
>
> It's just too easy... and the way it should be ... finally...  no more
> worries about dependencies, "making" programs, libraries, etc., etc.  It
> just deals with all that goop for you.  Can you tell I like this
> Linux?  :-)
>
> The bottom line is that filePro works dead easy on this box. (you really
> just need to copy over the "ansi" terminfo from your working SCO box... and
> the ansi termcap defs from it as well.  And if you use FacetWin, make sure
> that "inetd" is working properly. (an apt-get package thing only.)  If you
> use Bob's anzio product to get to the Linux server, I don't think much of
> anything would be required.  Printing just works out of the box... even
> local printing (PFPT=ON).  You can even use the "useradd" command to
> duplicate your old Unix users, ID, directory and all.
>
> Just a point of info for all you folks who don't have any other easy means
> of hearing stuff like this.  You can load a server version of ubuntu, or
> just load the desktop version and add the server things you need, same
> difference...  there are other versions of Linux that people like, Redhat,
> suse, etc.  I may scope some of these out at some time, sure, but this was
> an easy, really easy way to migrate a SCO/filePro system... and months from
> now you will be hearing about ubuntu working well in many installations,
> just like you heard the same about suse for while and others.  Funny, but I
> learned that my PDA (which is the coolest Linux based thing in the world)
> is
> a Debian system... when I get to the console on this device through ssh,
> all
> the same commands as used on ubuntu work here.  Very cool.
>
>
>
> Now for my question.
>
> The ls command does a lot of color changing for lots of different
> reasons.... directories, executable files, etc.  It is beyond annoying...
> If
> you have a black background like me... it is IMPOSSIBLE.
>
> I have gotten the great help from various folks and made the "ls" command
> to
> work like the "l" command I know and love (skipping the color thing) by
> doing this in my .profile....
>
> type ls | grep -q alias && { unalias ls; echo unalias ls; }
> l ()  { ls -al $*; }
> lf () { ls -aCF $*; }
>
> It stops the program from doing any color shifting.... great.  Now, I have
> to stop "vi" from doing it as well.  On this Linux, "vim" is the choice for
> vi... it is an improved vi and great for editing any kind of file including
> binary files and things with unprintable characters like pcl files.  So,
> anyway, I start off by doing this in the .profile.
>
> alias vi="vim -T ansi $* -u /root/.vimrc"
>
> This gets me using vim and pointing to an initialization file for it
> ".vimrc".  so what do I put in this .vimrc to STOP the damn color shifting
> in vi?????  I have read the info about "syntax"  and tried
>
> Syntax off
> Set syntax=off
> Set syntax off
>
> And every other variation... I won't bore you with the extent I've gone to
> trying to get color shifting to not happen.  There is a setting
> Se
> background=dark
>
> Which promised to be good for my situation... no deal.. You still get the
> whackiest, craziest changes of colors while in vi or entering or leaving
> it.... usually ending up in blue on red....  blue on red!!!  This is like
> Navy eye tests.... impossible.
>
> I have looked all through the "dircolors" command... but this doesn't seem
> to apply, and/or doesn't work.... Damn, I have waded through the hundreds
> of
> locations for vimrc... .../share/Debian/blah/blah... etc., etc. and made
> changes everywhre nothing obtains.  I have spent probably 4 to 6 hours of
> what I would humbly call valuable time on this stupidly simple thing.... I
> just want to turn a "feature" off.
>
> I don't want color in "vi"....
>
> Ultimately, I would LOVE to be able to govern the color of my screen so I
> could do what I so easily do on SCO, change my foreground and background
> based on my PFDIR... live, or dev, etc.
>
> Can anyone help.  I'll even pay. :-)  Seriously, I will pay your consulting
> fee to educate me about this stuff.  I know, and have this nagging belief
> that someone is going to write... you idiot, just type:
>
>
> Color off
> A
> T the prompt or something incredibly stupid like that.... I don't care.
> Send me the pain.  I simply have to solve this... since I am doing lots of
> work on Linux these days, and particularly this Debian version  "ubuntu".
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> John
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> John Esak
> 21st Century Appraisals, Inc
> 1801 Oberlin Rd, Middletown, PA 17057
> 717-985-0200 x 1141
> john.esak at 21appr.com
>
>
>
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