[syslinux] 5.10 DISPLAY files (and SAY directive) issues

[Ady]

> On Fri, Mar 22, 2013 at 2:06 AM, Ady <ady-sf at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > that are about to create a new "short" DISPLAY file. Wasting 1 screen
> > row from the 25 available, or having to specifically review and
> > "correct" old files are not "solutions" IMHO.
> 
> What version are you referencing for old behavior?

I was not referencing specific old Syslinux versions, but old 
configuration and message / display files. There are (popular) 
utilities that don't use [vesa]menu.c32, so having the possibility to 
_clearly_ read on screen all the available text (while taking 
advantage of as much screen as possible) in a _consistent_ manner 
(using DISPLAY, F1-F12, MENU HELP, or even SAY when appropriate) 
should be important. The consistence aspect is not only important 
regarding (or comparing to) prior versions of Syslinux, but also 
using these different features from the same (latest) version.

Here is one example of such (in)consistency. If "help.txt" has 24x80 
characters plus additional 73 characters to be displayed (in the 25th 
row), pressing F1 from menu.c32 would show all 25 rows, but from CLI 
the last row would be overwritten. In fact, this happens also if 
"help.txt" has less than 25 rows, as shown in my original "help.txt" 
( http://www.syslinux.org/archives/2013-March/019698.html ).

> 
> I've tested 3.86, 4.06, and 5.10-pre2.  In 3.86/4.06, the observed
> behavior of SAY is identical to that of my test of 5.10-pre2.
> 
> In 3.86/4.06, F1 does leave it as "                   USE F1 TO
> TESTboot:" (with preceding spaces).  In 5.10-pre2, the last line of
> the file is overwritten by the "boot:" prompt.
> 
> In 3.86/4.06, using cat.c32 also does "                   USE F1 TO
> TESTboot:".  In 5.10-pre2, (I believe unexpectedly) also does "
>            USE F1 TO TESTboot:".
> 
> In my opinion, the "boot:" prompt behavior is likely to be considered
> a regression while the SAY behavior is a feature enhancement request.
> 
 
Thank you for testing. Whether these behaviors are regressions, or 
reports of old bugs that were not reported before, or enhancements, I 
am presenting them as a "set" (in one concise simple cfg file, one 
email), with the purpose of achieving reasonable consistency, 
avoiding an unwanted possibility of overwriting displayed text, 
reducing scrolling, and for an improved efficiency regarding usable 
screen space.

I hope the simple cfg file eases the task.

TIA,
Ady.