infotocap(1) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
infotocap converts terminfo source into termcap source on standard output. It is not in the Solnix base system; install pkgs.solnix.ncurses. The Solnix and Linux pages are the same ncurses text. FreeBSD documents infotocap only as an alias of tic, and says it sets -I.
The manual pages
- Solnix: infotocap(1) from
pkgs.solnix.ncurses - Linux: infotocap(1m) ncurses-6.6
- FreeBSD: infotocap(1) 15.1-RELEASE
What Solnix runs
Not installed by default: add pkgs.solnix.ncurses. The page says infotocap is a link to tic(1M) with tic's -C option implied. No other variants are shipped.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| FreeBSD | option implied by the infotocap name | The Solnix page says infotocap implies tic -C (termcap output). The FreeBSD page says that when tic is invoked as infotocap it sets -I, and that -I forces translation to terminfo format. The two pages disagree on what the infotocap name does.Source: Solnix infotocap(1) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD infotocap(1) Aliases, -I, -C |
| FreeBSD | page and program identity | The FreeBSD infotocap(1) page is the tic page, titled "tic - compile terminal descriptions". It does not describe infotocap as a separate command. The Solnix page is a short infotocap page that sends you to tic(1M) for options. Source: FreeBSD infotocap(1) NAME, Aliases; Solnix infotocap(1) NAME, DESCRIPTION |
| Linux | same program as Linux | The Solnix and Linux pages have identical synopsis and behaviour: link to tic, -C implied, tic options such as -1, -f, -v, -w, -x allowed, and -V prints the ncurses version. The Solnix page is dated ncurses 6.5 and the Linux page ncurses 6.6.Source: Solnix infotocap(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION; Linux infotocap(1m) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD | where output goes | Solnix infotocap writes the termcap description to standard output. The FreeBSD page describes tic output as compiled entries placed in a terminfo database, /usr/share/misc/terminfo by default. It does not say where output goes for the infotocap name.Source: Solnix infotocap(1) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD infotocap(1) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD | BSD-compatible termcap translation | The FreeBSD page documents tic -K, which suppresses some ncurses termcap extensions such as \s for a stricter BSD-compatible translation with -C. The Solnix page does not list -K; it only says other tic options may be used.Source: FreeBSD infotocap(1) -C, -K; Solnix infotocap(1) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD | untranslatable capabilities | FreeBSD says tic -C leaves untranslatable capabilities in the entry under their terminfo names, commented out with two dots. The Solnix page says only that some capabilities cannot be translated, not how they appear in the output.Source: FreeBSD infotocap(1) -C; Solnix infotocap(1) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD | number of input files | The Solnix synopsis takes one or more files (file ...). The FreeBSD tic synopsis shows a single file. Source: Solnix infotocap(1) SYNOPSIS; FreeBSD infotocap(1) SYNOPSIS |
Standards
- POSIX: infotocap is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not rely on the infotocap name for termcap output: FreeBSD documents it as setting
-I. Run tic with-Cexplicitly, which the FreeBSD page documents as forcing termcap output, and check that your tic accepts it. - On Solnix, install pkgs.solnix.ncurses before calling infotocap or tic in a script.
Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.