console_codes

The "terminal".

The "terminal" is where you could add something.

If you are running X, there are several "terminal emulators", such as xterm and rxvt, that might be in use. If you are not running X, then it would probably be the system console, which is coded in the kernel source directory ~-drivers-char in such places as vt.c and keyboard.c.

Of course if you happen to be remotely connected via a network, then the terminal (or terminal emulator) you use has no connection to Linux at all. For example, if you dig up an old vt100 terminal and use it through a serial port (perhaps over the phone line with a modem), then the place you can add functionality is *inside the vt100*!

Typically however, you want to stick with ANSI console codes. In fact you will find that the Linux console and the various terminal emulators like xterm implement virtually everything useful, though sometimes not in exactly the same way. And that is where the TERMINFO database comes into play.

TERMINFO is a database of all terminals and their capabilities. Or, that is what it is supposed to be... :-) Sometimes you'll find odd things that don't match what you actually have. For example, the xterm terminal emulator has several different variations, and choosing the right TERMINFO entry can be very significant. Some TERMINFO entries do not provide information on all of the actual capabilities that a given terminal may actually have. Some entries work a little differently on different terminals.

All that said... if you post something describing what you want a terminal to do, it is very likely that you can get good suggestions on how to do it with existing software.

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