etcterminfo

etcterminfo is a directory commonly found on Unix-like operating systems. It serves as the default location for terminal capability database files, often referred to as terminfo entries. These files describe the capabilities of various terminal types, such as how to move the cursor, change text colors, or clear the screen.

The terminfo database is crucial for applications to correctly interact with the terminal they are running on. When a program needs to perform a terminal-specific operation, it consults the terminfo database to find the correct sequence of characters to send to the terminal. This allows applications to be portable across a wide range of terminal hardware and software emulators.

The etcterminfo directory typically contains a collection of subdirectories, each named after the first letter of the terminal type it stores. For instance, a terminal type named "vt100" might have its definition stored in a file within the "v" subdirectory. This organizational structure helps to manage the potentially large number of terminfo entries.

System administrators or users can add new terminal definitions to etcterminfo or modify existing ones. However, care must be taken when editing these files, as incorrect entries can lead to display issues or application malfunctions. The `tic` command is commonly used to compile human-readable terminfo source files into the binary format stored in etcterminfo.