# Ncurses based menu program



## balanga (Aug 1, 2018)

Apologies, for asking this again, I did ask about an ncurses based menu program about a year and I got a reply, but I can't find the original thread and can't remember what the program was called. Can someone remind me?


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## getopt (Aug 1, 2018)

First of all I never will apologize for what follows:

Balanga, you hold the forums record for asking dumb questions in an unreached frequency. 

Any yeah, there are still enough other members for answering your crap. They are not part of solutions but part of your problem.


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## Bobi B. (Aug 1, 2018)

dialog(1) perhaps? What is your goal?


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## Phishfry (Aug 1, 2018)

It is really nice looking at what the `bsdinstaller` does using only dialog(1).


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## balanga (Aug 1, 2018)

I may use that if I can't find the pkg that was suggested last year. It probably used dialog() but was more of a program launcher.


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## Phishfry (Aug 1, 2018)

The ncurses original author has alot of documentation floating around.
There is a zip file from his books examples that has a menu program. Here is the code:
http://tldp.org/HOWTO/NCURSES-Programming-HOWTO/menus.html

There used to be more on this page and the files at the bottom were live.
http://www.paulgriffiths.net/program/c/curses.php


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## ShelLuser (Aug 1, 2018)

There's also ports-mgmt/dialog4ports, which is pretty much already available once you build a few ports. Still, dialog(1) is probably the better of those two because of its more extensive features et, but I could imagine this one also being a usable candidate.


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## Phishfry (Aug 1, 2018)

Login shell for inexperienced users!!! getopt made me do it...
misc/pdmenu/


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## jpierri (Aug 1, 2018)

Bobi B. said:


> dialog(1) perhaps?


 ... or, the latest upstream version on devel/cdialog


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## balanga (Aug 1, 2018)

Phishfry said:


> Login shell for inexperienced users!!! getoptmade me do it...
> misc/pdmenu/



That's the one!

That getopt can be *SOOO* helpful when he wants to be ...


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## balanga (Aug 1, 2018)

Now, how would I get pdmenu incorporated into mfsboot?


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## ShelLuser (Aug 13, 2018)

Sorry for a very late response. It has been on my mind a long time and recent events drove me to do this. 



getopt said:


> First of all I never will apologize for what follows:


There is no need. You shared an opinion, though critical, yet you never made it personal. I can honestly respect that.



getopt said:


> Any yeah, there are still enough other members for answering your crap. They are not part of solutions but part of your problem.


Fair enough. No sarcasm, nothing between the lines, in a certain sense I actually agree with you. There are several posts which also make me wonder...

I'm not looking for a discussion, I merely want to get something off my chest.

Do you know why I still answer several of Balanga's posts? Why I sometimes even go out of my way and add that tiny bit of extra icing on the cake (context: for me that boils down to handing out a workable solution yet also providing explanation as to why things work, leaving the recipient to use that as they please)?

Because I cannot help shake off the feeling that balanga is real and not a troll of some sort (context: "troll" being someone who asks questions merely for the point of asking questions and taking up our time for nothing, ergo wasting it).

Ever since this post I started paying a little bit more attention to balanga's posts. I also ignored a few, fair enough, but I have seen threads which led up to a bigger thread, where he actually posted solid material which he (assumption on my part (fair is fair)): gained from asking, studying the answers and tying the knots together.

You know what the _real_ problem is with the modern Internet? Trolls (context given above) who spoil it for people who honestly have a bit of a problem to process all of the information which is available to them.

And I am honestly happy that this forum gives people like Balanga a place to be themselves. Don't like it? You _do_ realize that you don't have to answer any of this questions, right? Honest: no sarcasm intended here, just a critical comment. I say this because I too have ignored a few of balanga's posts (and also: no regrets on my end).

But seriously: try to look at the bigger picture sometimes.


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## getopt (Aug 13, 2018)

Meantime I saw balanga starting citing manpages. This is at least some progress. Hopefully he keeps that up.


Some requests to the forum were ridiculous. Trying to outsource to forum members even searching his own postings that he can't find anymore was just one of those messages that was one too much. I felt it was time for an intervention. And yes, I do ask myself if it is worth the time spending before starting to write.


As long as not so good behavior gets rewarded by solving/helping with problems, there is no motivation that a person feels a need for a change.


There is energy needed for writing posts. That could be better spent on doing one's own work before starting bothering other people. And please remember, here we talk about flooding the forum with low level requests.

Fortunately I experienced some time ago that I found solutions near time _after_  clicking the send button. That was a really good feeling having solved my problems without the help of others. I started analyzing hindsight what caused the progress. It was the style of writing questions.

I tried to be helpful to others when asking for help, making it more easy to respond to my postings. There are numerous FAQs in the Internet about how to do that.

And by collecting information and sorting them out I got nearer to the solution. So what I tried to do was, and still is, working on a good posting.

Doing so solutions came to my mind shortly after having sent, and I recognized that I just have to wait a little before sending the message so that I have the chance for finally solving problems on my own. That worked an gave me a really superb feeling.

I kept this kind of working style and started writing a personal wiki so that I can lookup things afterwards.

I suspect that high frequency posters are somehow addict to communicating with others. So they are likely not only rewarded with solutions here in the forums, but also with communication they might lack in their real life. There is nothing wrong about that, as long as people do not start getting on one's nerves.

And a last word on reading manpages and other text. It is just normal that one do not understand a text just at once reading for the first time a complex text. It takes several readings for starting the process of understanding. It takes time and rehearsals and even pausing. That is how to use one's own brain. And it is the most satisfying experience solving problems independent as far as possible.

With presenting _every_ little help to your friends you protect them from becoming successful. You make them depend on you, and you can add to be admired by others.


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## getopt (Aug 14, 2018)

Phishfry
The purpose of my writing is not bullying. So I do not use the term "hitten dogs shout".



Phishfry said:


> Let me say something insulting about @balanga.


No, I don't. I'd prefer you clean that lines. My mouse is hovering over the report button.



Phishfry said:


> But I have learned so much looking up stuff for that guy and it don't bother me one bit. It's like kids.
> Do you think ignoring them when crying helps them later in life?


Treating a man like a kid is not respectful. I prefer clear words to adults.

And yes, one can learn a lot from looking up things for others.
I'd like it, if some persons would just do this for themselves.


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