simonlaszcz / vidtex

ncurses Viewtex/Viewdata client for Linux/UNIX

vidtex - ncurses videotex/viewdata client

See the installed man page for more detailed usage instructions

vidtex is a Viewdata/Videotex client that can connect to services over TCP. Currently these services are NXTel, TeeFax, Telstar and Tetrachloromethane. Additional services may be configured by modifying the file \fIvidtexrc\fR. Alternatively you may supply the hostname and port number as options.

Viewdata uses a specific character set to transmit text and graphics characters. While many of these overlap with ASCII, most do not. Consequently, it is envisaged that the user will customise their terminal emulator to use a font that supports these characters.

By default the program outputs character codes compatible with the Bedstead font. However, the best experience will be had if a Galax Mode 7 font is used as this font supports double height characters. The Bedstead font was chosen as the default as it is most compatible with ASCII. For example, Galax causes '{' to be translated to '['.

The Bedstead font may be obtained from:

https://bjh21.me.uk/bedstead/

Several variations are available but the regular font is recommended:

https://bjh21.me.uk/bedstead/bedstead.otf

The Galax Mode 7 font may be obtained from:

https://galax.xyz/TELETEXT/index.html

Several variations are available but the following is recommended:

https://galax.xyz/TELETEXT/MODE7GX3.TTF

TIP: Some font sizes result in unwanted artefacts, probably due to padding and scaling. I've found that 16pt and 26pt render without artefacts.

Installation

wget "https://github.com/simonlaszcz/vidtex/blob/master/releases/vidtex-1.3.0.tar.gz?raw=true" -O "vidtex-1.3.0.tar.gz"
tar xvf vidtex-1.3.0.tar.gz
cd vidtex-1.3.0
./configure
sudo make install

Example Usage

man vidtex
#   If using the Galax mode 7 font
vidtex --menu --galax
#   If not
vidtex --menu

Using xterm with the Galax font in X Windows

#   Install the font into your local font dir
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/fonts
cd ~/.local/share/fonts
wget https://galax.xyz/TELETEXT/MODE7GX3.TTF
fc-cache -v
#   Open a new terminal
xterm -fa ModeSeven -fs 10 &
#   Within the new terminal
vidtex --menu --galax

Using KiTTY or PuTTY from Windows

1. Download https://galax.xyz/TELETEXT/MODE7GX3.TTF
2. Drop the file into Control Panel\Appearance and Personalisation\Fonts
3. In KiTTY/PuTTY, change the font in Settings\Window\Appearance