Vendor import ncurses 6.6vendor/ncurses/6.6vendor/ncurses

1 files changed, 568 insertions, 328 deletions

diff --git a/man/ncurses.3x b/man/ncurses.3x
index 9aaa7adf54bf..21799fdd2296 100644
--- a/man/ncurses.3x
+++ b/man/ncurses.3x
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 '\" t
 .\"***************************************************************************
-.\" Copyright 2018-2023,2024 Thomas E. Dickey                                *
+.\" Copyright 2018-2024,2025 Thomas E. Dickey                                *
 .\" Copyright 1998-2015,2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc.                  *
 .\"                                                                          *
 .\" Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a  *
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@
 .\" authorization.                                                           *
 .\"***************************************************************************
 .\"
-.\" $Id: ncurses.3x,v 1.214 2024/04/27 17:55:43 tom Exp $
-.TH ncurses 3X 2024-04-27 "ncurses @NCURSES_MAJOR@.@NCURSES_MINOR@" "Library calls"
+.\" $Id: ncurses.3x,v 1.289 2025/11/12 01:01:34 tom Exp $
+.TH ncurses 3X 2025-11-11 "ncurses @NCURSES_MAJOR@.@NCURSES_MINOR@" "Library calls"
 .ie \n(.g \{\
 .ds `` \(lq
 .ds '' \(rq
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@
 .  TP
 ..
 .
-.ds d @TERMINFO@
 .SH NAME
 \fB\%ncurses\fP \-
 character-cell terminal interface with optimized output
@@ -65,7 +64,7 @@ character-cell terminal interface with optimized output
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 The \*(``new curses\*('' library offers the programmer a
 terminal-independent means of reading keyboard and mouse input and
-updating character-cell terminals with output optimized to minimize
+writing to character-cell displays with output optimized to minimize
 screen updates.
 .I \%ncurses
 replaces the
@@ -86,15 +85,15 @@ abstraction and subdivision thereof with
 .I windows
 and
 .IR pads ;
-the reading of terminal input;
-control of terminal input and output options;
-environment query routines;
-color manipulation;
+acquisition of keyboard and mouse events;
+selection of color and rendering attributes
+(such as bold or underline);
 the definition and use of
 .I "soft label"
 keys;
+access to the
 .I \%term\%info
-capability access;
+terminal capability database;
 a
 .I termcap
 compatibility interface;
@@ -102,8 +101,7 @@ and an abstraction of the system's API for manipulating the terminal
 (such as \fI\%termios\fP(3)).
 .PP
 .I \%ncurses
-implements the standard interface described by
-X/Open Curses Issue\ 7.
+implements the interface described by X/Open Curses Issue\ 7.
 In many behavioral details not standardized by X/Open,
 .I \%ncurses
 emulates the
@@ -122,8 +120,8 @@ API should be aware,
 such as limitations on the size of an underlying integral type or the
 availability of a preprocessor macro exclusive of a function definition
 (which prevents its address from being taken).
-This section also describes implementation details that will be
-significant to the programmer but which are not standardized.
+This section also describes implementation details
+of significance to the programmer but which are not standardized.
 .bP
 \*(``EXTENSIONS\*('' presents
 .I \%ncurses
@@ -162,22 +160,21 @@ option to your compiler or linker.
 A debugging version of the library may be available;
 if so,
 link with it using
-.BR \-lncurses_g .
+.BR \-lncurses_g "."
 (Your system integrator may have installed these libraries such that you
 can use the options
 .B \-lcurses
 and
-.BR \-lcurses_g ,
+.BR \-lcurses_g ","
 respectively.)
 The
 .I \%ncurses_g
-library generates trace logs
-(in a file called
-.I \%trace
-in the current directory)
-that describe
+library logs events describing
 .I \%ncurses
-actions.
+actions
+to a file called
+.I \%trace
+in the application's working directory at startup.
 See section \*(``ALTERNATE CONFIGURATIONS\*('' below.
 .SS "Application Structure"
 A
@@ -203,10 +200,13 @@ not been set up.
 \fB\%initscr\fP(3X) or \fB\%newterm\fP(3X)
 must be called to initialize
 .I curses
-before use of any functions that deal with windows and screens.
+before use of any functions
+that access or manipulate windows or screens.
 .PP
-To get character-at-a-time input without echoing\(emmost interactive,
-screen-oriented programs want this\(emuse the following sequence.
+To get character-at-a-time input without echoing \(em
+most interactive,
+screen-oriented programs want this \(em
+use the following sequence.
 .PP
 .RS 4
 .EX
@@ -214,36 +214,55 @@ initscr(); cbreak(); noecho();
 .EE
 .RE
 .PP
-Most applications perform further setup as follows.
+Most applications would perform further setup as follows.
 .PP
 .RS 4
 .EX
-intrflush(stdscr, FALSE);
+.nf
+noqiflush();
 keypad(stdscr, TRUE);
+.fi
 .EE
 .RE
 .PP
 A
 .I curses
-program then often enters an event loop of some sort.
+program then often enters an event-handling loop.
 Call \fB\%endwin\fP(3X) before exiting.
 .SS Overview
 A
 .I curses
-library abstracts the terminal screen by representing all or part of it
-as a
+library abstracts the terminal with a
+.I \%SCREEN
+data structure,
+and represents all or part of its display
+with
 .I \%WINDOW
-data structure.
+structures.
+Distinct properties apply to each;
+for example,
+the
+.I "line discipline"
+of a typical Unix terminal driver
+is in one of three modes:
+raw,
+\%cbreak,
+or canonical (\*(``cooked\*('').
+In
+.IR curses ","
+the line discipline is a property of the screen,
+applying identically to all windows associated with it.
+.PP
 A
 .I window
 is a rectangular grid of character cells,
-addressed by row and column coordinates
-.RI ( y ,
+addressed by line and column coordinates
+.RI ( y ","
 .IR x ),
 with the upper left corner as (0, 0).
 A window called
-.BR \%stdscr ,
-the same size as the terminal screen,
+.BR \%stdscr ","
+by default the same size as the terminal screen,
 is always available.
 Create others with \fB\%newwin\fP(3X).
 .PP
@@ -262,17 +281,16 @@ effects.
 .PP
 Functions permit manipulation of a window and the
 .I cursor
-identifying the cell within it at which the next output operation will
-occur.
+identifying the cell within it at which the next operation will occur.
 Among those,
 the most basic are \fB\%move\fP(3X) and \fB\%addch\fP(3X):
-these place the cursor and write a character to
-.BR \%stdscr ,
+these place the cursor within and write a character to
+.BR \%stdscr ","
 respectively.
 .PP
 Frequent changes to the terminal screen can cause unpleasant flicker or
 inefficient use of the communication channel to the device,
-so the library does not generally update it automatically.
+so as a rule the library does not update it automatically.
 Therefore,
 after using
 .I curses
@@ -284,7 +302,7 @@ The library
 .\" X/Open Curses Issue 7 assumes some optimization will be done, but
 .\" does not mandate it in any way.
 .I optimizes
-its output by computing a minimal number of operations to mutate the
+its output by computing a minimal volume of operations to mutate the
 screen from its state at the previous refresh to the new one.
 Effective optimization demands accurate information about the terminal
 device:
@@ -297,48 +315,54 @@ implementation.
 Special windows called
 .I pads
 may also be manipulated.
-These are windows that are not constrained to the size of the terminal
-screen and whose contents need not be completely displayed.
+These are not constrained to the size of the terminal screen and their
+contents need not be completely displayed.
 See \fB\%curs_pad\fP(3X).
 .PP
-In addition to drawing characters on the screen,
-rendering attributes and colors may be supported,
-causing the characters to show up in such modes as underlined,
-in reverse video,
-or in color on terminals that support such display enhancements.
-See \fB\%curs_attr\fP(3X).
+Many terminals support configuration of character cell foreground and
+background colors as well as
+.IR attributes ","
+which cause characters to render in such modes as
+boldfaced,
+underlined,
+or in reverse video.
+See \fB\%curs_color\fP(3X) and \fB\%curs_attr\fP(3X).
 .PP
 .I curses
-predefines constants for a small set of forms-drawing graphics
+defines constants to simplify access
+to a small set of forms-drawing graphics
 corresponding to the DEC Alternate Character Set (ACS),
 a feature of VT100 and other terminals.
-See \fB\%waddch\fP(3X).
+See \fB\%addch\fP(3X).
 .PP
 .I curses
 is implemented using the operating system's terminal driver;
-keystroke events are received not as scan codes but as byte sequences.
-Graphical keycaps
+key events are received not as scan codes but as byte sequences.
+The driver reports graphical keycaps
 (alphanumeric and punctuation keys,
 and the space)
-appear as-is.
+as-is.
 Everything else,
 including the tab,
 enter/return,
 keypad,
 arrow,
 and function keys,
-appears as a control character or a multibyte
+appears to
+.I curses
+as a control character or a multibyte
 .I "escape sequence."
 .I curses
-translates these into unique
+can translate the latter into unique
 .I "key codes."
-See \fB\%getch\fP(3X).
+See \fB\%keypad\fP(3X) and \fB\%getch\fP(3X).
 .PP
 .I \%ncurses
 provides reimplementations of the SVr4 \fBpanel\fP(3X), \fBform\fP(3X),
-and \fBmenu\fP(3X) libraries to ease construction of user interfaces
+and \fBmenu\fP(3X) libraries;
+they permit overlapping windows and ease construction of user interfaces
 with
-.IR curses .
+.IR curses "."
 .SS "Initialization"
 The selection of an appropriate value of
 .I TERM
@@ -352,10 +376,9 @@ A well-configured system selects a correct
 value automatically;
 \fB\%tset\fP(1) may assist with troubleshooting exotic situations.
 .PP
-If you change the terminal type,
-export the
-.I TERM
-environment variable in the shell,
+If you change the terminal type from a shell,
+export
+.IR TERM ","
 then run \fB\%tset\fP(1) or the
 .RB \*(`` "@TPUT@ init" \*(''
 command.
@@ -370,10 +393,10 @@ or if the
 .I curses
 program is executing in a graphical windowing environment,
 the information obtained thence overrides that obtained by
-.IR \%term\%info .
+.IR \%term\%info "."
 An
 .I \%ncurses
-extension supports resizable terminals;
+extension supports resizable terminal displays;
 see \fB\%wresize\fP(3X).
 .PP
 If the environment variable
@@ -384,9 +407,8 @@ a
 program checks first for a terminal type description in the location it
 identifies.
 .I \%TERMINFO
-is useful for developing experimental type descriptions or when write
-permission to
-.I \%\*d
+is useful for developing type descriptions or when write permission to
+.I \%@TERMINFO@
 is not available.
 .PP
 See section \*(``ENVIRONMENT\*('' below.
@@ -402,41 +424,61 @@ those with a \*(``mv\*('' prefix first perform cursor movement using
 a \*(``mvw\*('' prefix indicates both.
 The \*(``w\*('' function is typically the elemental one;
 the removal of this prefix usually indicates operation on
-.BR \%stdscr .
+.BR \%stdscr "."
 .PP
-Four functions prefixed with \*(``p\*('' require a pad argument.
+Four functions prefixed with \*(``p\*('' require a
+.I pad
+argument;
+see below.
 .PP
 In function synopses,
 .I \%ncurses
 man pages apply the following names to parameters.
+We introduce the character types in the next subsection.
 .PP
 .TS
 center;
 Li L.
-bf	\fIbool\fP (\fBTRUE\fP or \fBFALSE\fP)
+bf	a \fIbool\fP (\fBTRUE\fP or \fBFALSE\fP)
 c	a \fIchar\fP or \fIint\fP
 ch	a \fIchtype\fP
 wc	a \fIwchar_t\fP or \fIwint_t\fP
 wch	a \fIcchar_t\fP
 win	pointer to a \fIWINDOW\fP
 pad	pointer to a \fIWINDOW\fP that is a pad
+pair	a foreground/background color pair identifier
 .TE
 .SS "Wide and Non-wide Character Configurations"
-This manual page describes functions that appear in any configuration
-of the library.
+This man page primarily surveys functions that appear in any
+configuration of the library.
 There are two common configurations;
+for others,
 see section \*(``ALTERNATE CONFIGURATIONS\*('' below.
 .TP 10 \" "ncursesw" + 2n
 .I \%ncurses
 is the library in its \*(``non-wide\*('' configuration,
 handling only eight-bit characters.
-It stores a character combined with attributes in a
+It stores a character combined with attributes
+and a color pair identifier
+in a
 .I \%chtype
 datum,
 which is often an alias of
-.IR int .
+.IR int "."
+A string of
+.I curses
+characters is similar to a C
+.I char
+string;
+a
+.I chtype
+string ends with an integral
+.BR 0 ","
+the null
+.I curses
+character.
 .IP
-Attributes alone
+Attributes and a color pair identifier
 (with no corresponding character)
 can be stored in variables of
 .I \%chtype
@@ -444,12 +486,24 @@ or
 .I \%attr_t
 type.
 In either case,
-they are represented as an integral bit mask.
+they are accessed via an integral bit mask.
 .IP
-Each cell of a
+.I \%ncurses
+stores each cell of a
 .I \%WINDOW
-is stored as a
-.IR \%chtype .
+as a
+.IR \%chtype "."
+X/Open Curses does not specify the sizes of the character code or
+color pair identifier,
+nor the quantity of attribute bits,
+in
+.IR chtype ";"
+these are implementation-dependent.
+.I \%ncurses
+uses eight bits for the character code.
+An application requiring a wider character type,
+for instance to represent Unicode,
+should use the wide-character API.
 .TP 10
 .I \%ncursesw
 is the library in its \*(``wide\*('' configuration,
@@ -457,19 +511,49 @@ which handles character encodings requiring a larger data type than
 .I \%char
 (a byte-sized type)
 can represent.
-It adds about one third more calls using additional data types that
-can store such
-.I multibyte
-characters.
+It provides additional functions that complement those in
+the non-wide library where the size of the underlying character type is
+significant.
+A somewhat regular naming convention relates many of the wide variants
+to their non-wide counterparts;
+where a non-wide function name contains \*(``ch\*('' or \*(``str\*('',
+prefix it with \*(``_w\*('' to obtain the wide counterpart.
+For example,
+\fB\%waddch\fP becomes \fB\%wadd_wch\fP.
+An exception is
+.B \%ins_nwstr
+(and its variants),
+spelled thus instead of \*(``insn_wstr\*(''.
+(Exceptions that add only \*(``w\*('' comprise
+.BR \%addwstr ","
+.BR \%inwstr ","
+and their variants.)
+.\" This is because they operate on "plain" wide-character strings
+.\" (`wchar_t*`) and not curses complex character strings (`cchar_t*`).
+.\" SVID 4 did specify functions like `addwch()` and `inswch()` that
+.\" operated on `chtype`s assuming that they were wide enough for a
+.\" `wchar_t` plus attribute and color pair bits; X/Open Curses did not
+.\" standardize these.
+.IP
+This convention is inapplicable to some non-wide function names,
+so other transformations are used for the wide configuration:
+the window background management function \*(``bkgd\*('' becomes
+\*(``bkgrnd\*('';
+the window border-drawing and -clearing functions are suffixed with
+\*(``_set\*('';
+and character attribute manipulation functions like
+\*(``attron\*('' become \*(``attr_on\*(''.
 .RS 10 \" same as foregoing tag width
 .TP 9 \" "cchar_t" + 2n
 .I \%cchar_t
-corresponds to the non-wide configuration's
-.IR \%chtype .
-It always a structure type,
-because it stores more data than fit into a standard scalar type.
+is a
+.I "curses complex character"
+and corresponds to the non-wide-character configuration's
+.IR \%chtype "."
+It is a structure type
+because it requires more storage than a standard scalar type offers.
 A character code may not be representable as a
-.IR \%char ,
+.IR \%char ","
 and moreover more than one character may occupy a cell
 (as with accent marks and other diacritics).
 Each character is of type
@@ -477,20 +561,26 @@ Each character is of type
 a complex character contains one spacing character and zero or more
 non-spacing characters
 (see below).
-Attributes and color data are stored in separate fields of the
-structure,
-not combined as in
-.IR \%chtype .
+A string of complex characters ends with a
+.I \%cchar_t
+whose
+.I \%wchar_t
+member is the null wide character.
+Attributes and a color pair identifier are stored in separate fields of
+the structure,
+not combined into an integer as in
+.IR \%chtype "."
 .PP
-Each cell of a
+.I \%ncurses
+stores each cell of a
 .I \%WINDOW
-is stored as a
-.IR \%cchar_t .
-.PP
+as a
+.IR \%cchar_t "."
 \fB\%setcchar\fP(3X) and \fB\%getcchar\fP(3X)
 store and retrieve
 .I \%cchar_t
 data.
+.PP
 The wide library API of
 .I \%ncurses
 depends on two data types standardized by ISO C95.
@@ -498,16 +588,16 @@ depends on two data types standardized by ISO C95.
 .I \%wchar_t
 stores a wide character.
 Like
-.IR \%chtype ,
+.IR \%chtype ","
 it may be an alias of
-.IR int .
+.IR int "."
 Depending on the character encoding,
 a wide character may be
-.IR spacing ,
+.IR spacing ","
 meaning that it occupies a character cell by itself and typically
 accompanies cursor advancement,
 or
-.IR non-spacing ,
+.IR non-spacing ","
 meaning that it occupies the same cell as a spacing character,
 is often regarded as a \*(``modifier\*('' of the base glyph with which
 it combines,
@@ -517,35 +607,12 @@ and typically does not advance the cursor.
 can store a
 .I \%wchar_t
 or the constant
-.BR \%WEOF ,
+.IR \%WEOF ","
 analogously to the
 .IR int -sized
 character manipulation functions of ISO C and its constant
-.BR \%EOF .
+.IR \%EOF "."
 .RE
-.IP
-The wide library provides additional functions that complement those in
-the non-wide library where the size of the underlying character type is
-significant.
-A somewhat regular naming convention relates many of the wide variants
-to their non-wide counterparts;
-where a non-wide function name contains \*(``ch\*('' or \*(``str\*('',
-prefix it with \*(``_w\*('' to obtain the wide counterpart.
-For example,
-\fB\%waddch\fP becomes \fB\%wadd_wch\fP.
-(Exceptions that add only \*(``w\*('' comprise
-.BR \%addwstr ,
-.BR \%inwstr ,
-and their variants.)
-.IP
-This convention is inapplicable to some non-wide function names,
-so other transformations are used for the wide configuration:
-the window background management function \*(``bkgd\*('' becomes
-\*(``bkgrnd\*('';
-the window border-drawing and -clearing functions are suffixed with
-\*(``_set\*('';
-and character attribute manipulation functions like
-\*(``attron\*('' become \*(``attr_on\*(''.
 .\"
 .SS "Function Name Index"
 The following table lists the
@@ -559,8 +626,8 @@ neither described by X/Open Curses nor present in SVr4.
 .PP
 .TS
 center tab(/);
-l l .
-\f(BIcurses\fP Function Name/Man Page
+L L.
+\fIcurses\fP Function Name/Man Page
 _
 COLOR_PAIR/\fBcurs_color\fP(3X)
 PAIR_NUMBER/\fBcurs_color\fP(3X)
@@ -743,7 +810,7 @@ mvaddnwstr/\fBcurs_addwstr\fP(3X)
 mvaddstr/\fBcurs_addstr\fP(3X)
 mvaddwstr/\fBcurs_addwstr\fP(3X)
 mvchgat/\fBcurs_attr\fP(3X)
-mvcur/\fBcurs_terminfo\fP(3X)
+mvcur/\fBcurs_kernel\fP(3X)
 mvdelch/\fBcurs_delch\fP(3X)
 mvderwin/\fBcurs_window\fP(3X)
 mvget_wch/\fBcurs_get_wch\fP(3X)
@@ -1033,20 +1100,19 @@ see sections \*(``ALTERNATE CONFIGURATIONS\*('' and \*(``EXTENSIONS\*(''
 below.
 .SH RETURN VALUE
 Unless otherwise noted,
-functions that return an integer return
+functions that return integers return the constants
 .B OK
 on success and
 .B ERR
-on failure.
-Functions that return pointers return
-.B NULL
-on failure.
+on failure;
+see \fB\%curs_variables\fP(3X).
+Functions that return pointers return a null pointer on failure.
 Typically,
 .I \%ncurses
 treats a null pointer passed as a function parameter as a failure.
 Functions prefixed with \*(``mv\*('' first perform cursor movement and
 fail if the position
-.RI ( y ,
+.RI ( y ","
 .IR x )
 is outside the window boundaries.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
@@ -1055,27 +1121,30 @@ runtime behavior of
 .I \%ncurses
 applications.
 The library may be configured to disregard the variables
-.IR \%TERMINFO ,
-.IR \%TERMINFO_DIRS ,
-.IR \%TERMPATH ,
+.IR \%TERMINFO ","
+.IR \%TERMINFO_DIRS ","
+.IR \%TERMPATH ","
 and
-.IR HOME ,
+.IR HOME ","
 if the user is the superuser (root),
 or the application uses \fI\%setuid\fP(2) or \fI\%setgid\fP(2).
 .SS "\fIBAUDRATE\fP"
 The debugging library checks this variable when the application has
 redirected output to a file.
-Its integral value is used for the baud rate.
+.I \%ncurses
+interprets its integral value as the terminal's line speed
+in bits per second.
 If that value is absent or invalid,
 .I \%ncurses
 uses 9600.
-This feature allows testers to construct repeatable test cases
-that take into account optimization decisions that depend on baud rate.
+This feature allows developers to construct repeatable test cases
+that take into account optimization decisions that depend
+on the terminal's line speed.
 .SS "\fICC\fP (command character)"
 When set,
 the
 .B \%command_character
-.RB ( \%cmdch )
+.RB \%( cmdch )
 capability value of loaded
 .I \%term\%info
 entries changes to the value of this variable.
@@ -1083,14 +1152,16 @@ Very few
 .I \%term\%info
 entries provide this feature.
 .PP
-Because this name is also used in development environments to represent
-the C compiler's name,
+Because this name is also used in development environments to store the
+C compiler's name,
 .I \%ncurses
 ignores its value if it is not one character in length.
 .SS "\fICOLUMNS\fP"
-This variable specifies the width of the screen in characters.
+This variable specifies the width of the screen in character cells.
 Applications running in a windowing environment usually are able to
 obtain the width of the window in which they are executing.
+.I \%ncurses
+enforces an upper limit of 512 when reading the value.
 If
 .I \%COLUMNS
 is not defined and the terminal's screen size is not available from the
@@ -1098,7 +1169,7 @@ terminal driver,
 .I \%ncurses
 uses the size specified by the
 .B \%columns
-.RB ( \%cols )
+.RB \%( cols )
 capability of the terminal type's entry in the
 .I \%term\%info
 database,
@@ -1156,7 +1227,11 @@ stores this interval in milliseconds.
 The default value of 1000
 (one second)
 is adequate for most uses.
-This environment variable overrides it.
+This environment variable overrides it;
+.I \%ncurses
+enforces an upper limit of 30,000
+(30 seconds)
+when reading the value.
 .PP
 The most common instance where you may wish to change this value
 is to work with a remote host over a slow communication channel.
@@ -1165,6 +1240,10 @@ If the host running a
 application does not receive the characters of an escape sequence in a
 timely manner,
 the library can interpret them as multiple key stroke events.
+Conversely,
+a fast typist on a low-latency connection who happens to input an ESC
+followed by characters that match an escape sequence may experience
+confusing application behavior.
 .PP
 \fI\%xterm\fP(1) mouse events are a form of escape sequence;
 therefore,
@@ -1181,7 +1260,9 @@ does not create problems when compiling an application.
 If \fB\%keypad\fP(3X) is disabled for the
 .I curses
 window receiving input,
-a program must disambiguate escape sequences itself.
+.B \%ESCDELAY
+is irrelevant
+and a program must disambiguate escape sequences itself.
 .SS "\fIHOME\fP"
 .I \%ncurses
 may read and write auxiliary terminal descriptions in
@@ -1196,7 +1277,7 @@ specifies the height of the screen in characters.
 The corresponding
 .I \%term\%info
 capability and code is
-.BR \%lines .
+.BR \%lines "."
 See the description of the
 .I \%COLUMNS
 variable above.
@@ -1228,21 +1309,22 @@ to tell
 .I \%ncurses
 not to assume anything about the colors,
 use a value of \*(``\-1,\-1\*(''.
-To make the default color scheme green on black,
+To make the default color scheme green on black on a terminal
+that uses ANSI\ X3.64/ECMA-48/ISO\ 6429 color assignments,
 use \*(``2,0\*(''.
 .I \%ncurses
 accepts integral values from \-1 up to the value of the
 .I \%term\%info
 .B \%max_colors
 .RB ( colors )
-capability.
+capability for the selected terminal type.
 .SS "\fINCURSES_CONSOLE2\fP"
 (MinGW port only)
 The
 .I \%Console2
 .\" https://www.hanselman.com/blog/console2-a-better-windows-command-prompt
 program defectively handles the Microsoft Console API call
-.IR \%Create\%Console\%Screen\%Buffer .
+.IR \%Create\%Console\%Screen\%Buffer "."
 Applications that use it will hang.
 However,
 it is possible to simulate the action of this call by mapping
@@ -1256,7 +1338,11 @@ has the same effect.
 When
 .I \%ncurses
 is configured to use the GPM interface,
-this variable may list one or more terminal names
+this variable may list one or more terminal type names,
+delimited by vertical bars
+.RB ( | )
+or colons
+.RB ( : ),
 against which the
 .I TERM
 variable
@@ -1265,7 +1351,7 @@ is matched.
 An empty value disables the GPM interface,
 using
 .IR \%ncurses 's
-built-in support for \fIxterm\fP(1) mouse protocols instead.
+built-in support for \fI\%xterm\fP(1) mouse protocols instead.
 If the variable is absent,
 .I \%ncurses
 attempts to open GPM if
@@ -1279,18 +1365,20 @@ your terminal driver may not handle them properly.
 Set this environment variable to any value to disable the feature.
 You can also adjust your \fI\%stty\fP(1) settings to avoid the problem.
 .SS "\fINCURSES_NO_MAGIC_COOKIE\fP"
-Many terminals store video attributes as a property of a character cell,
+Many terminals store video attributes as properties of a character cell,
 as
 .I curses
 does.
 Historically,
-some recorded changes in video attributes as data that logically
-.I occupies
+some recorded changes in video attributes as data
+that logically
+(but invisibly)
+.I occupied
 character cells on the display,
 switching attributes on or off,
-similarly to tags in a markup language;
-these are termed \*(``magic cookies\*('',
-and must be subsequently overprinted.
+similarly to tags in a markup language,
+which then had to be overprinted to depict the cells' desired contents;
+these are termed \*(``magic cookies\*(''.
 If the
 .I \%term\%info
 entry for your terminal type does not adequately describe its handling
@@ -1315,12 +1403,13 @@ that is,
 limiting the speed of communication to what the hardware could handle.
 Unless a hardware terminal is interfaced into a terminal concentrator
 (which does flow control),
-an application must manage flow control itself to prevent overruns and
-data loss.
+an application must manage flow itself to prevent overruns and data
+loss.
 .PP
-A solution that comes at no hardware cost is for an application to pause
-after directing a terminal to execute an operation that it performs
-slowly,
+A solution that comes at no hardware cost
+is for an application to pause transmission
+after directing a terminal to execute an operation
+that it performs slowly,
 such as clearing the display.
 Many terminal type descriptions,
 including that for the VT100,
@@ -1343,7 +1432,7 @@ the library used \fI\%setbuf\fP(3) to enable fully buffered output when
 initializing the terminal.
 This was done,
 as in SVr4
-.IR curses ,
+.IR curses ","
 to increase performance.
 For testing purposes,
 both of
@@ -1359,8 +1448,7 @@ Nowadays,
 .I \%ncurses
 performs its own buffering and does not require this workaround;
 it does not modify the buffering of the standard output stream.
-This approach makes signal handling,
-as for interrupts,
+This approach makes the library's handling of keyboard-initiated signals
 more robust.
 A drawback is that certain unconventional programs mixed
 \fI\%stdio\fP(3) calls with
@@ -1421,6 +1509,7 @@ Examples follow.
 .PP
 .RS 3
 .EX
+.nf
 # linux console, if patched to provide working
 # VT100 shift\-in/shift\-out, with corresponding font.
 linux\-vt100|linux console with VT100 line\-graphics,
@@ -1429,6 +1518,7 @@ linux\-vt100|linux console with VT100 line\-graphics,
 # uxterm with vt100Graphics resource set to false
 xterm\-utf8|xterm relying on UTF\-8 line\-graphics,
         U8#1, use=xterm,
+.fi
 .EE
 .RE
 .PP
@@ -1507,8 +1597,8 @@ This variable overrides the default location.
 Descriptions in
 .I \%term\%info
 format are normally stored in a directory tree using subdirectories
-named by the common first letters of the terminal types named therein.
-This is the scheme used in System\ V.
+named for the common first letters of the terminal types named therein.
+System\ V used this scheme.
 .bP
 If
 .I \%ncurses
@@ -1517,16 +1607,16 @@ then
 .I \%TERM\%INFO
 may name its location,
 such as
-.IR \%/usr/share/terminfo.db ,
+.IR \%/usr/share/terminfo.db ","
 rather than
-.IR \%/usr/share/terminfo/ .
+.IR \%/usr/share/terminfo/ "."
 .PP
 The hashed database uses less disk space and is a little faster than the
 directory tree.
 However,
-some applications assume the existence of the directory tree,
-and read it directly
-rather than using the
+some applications assume the existence of the directory tree
+and read it directly,
+ignoring the
 .I \%term\%info
 API.
 .bP
@@ -1550,14 +1640,17 @@ You might produce the base64 format using \fB\%infocmp\fP(1M).
 .RS 4
 .IP
 .EX
+.nf
 TERMINFO=$(infocmp \-0 \-Q2 \-q)
 export TERMINFO
+.fi
 .EE
 .RE
 .IP
-The compiled description is used only if it corresponds to the terminal
-type identified by
-.IR TERM .
+.I \%ncurses
+uses the compiled description only if it corresponds
+to the terminal type identified by
+.IR TERM "."
 .PP
 Setting
 .I \%TERM\%INFO
@@ -1588,7 +1681,7 @@ environment variable
 .bP
 location(s) configured and compiled into
 .I \%ncurses
-.RS 3
+.RS
 .if !'\*(td'' \{\
 .bP
 .I \%@TERMINFO_DIRS@
@@ -1602,7 +1695,7 @@ location(s) configured and compiled into
 .SS "\fITERMINFO_DIRS\fP"
 This variable specifies a list of locations,
 akin to
-.IR PATH ,
+.IR PATH ","
 in which
 .I \%ncurses
 searches for the terminal type descriptions described by
@@ -1624,10 +1717,10 @@ does not hold a terminal type description or file name,
 then
 .I \%ncurses
 checks the contents of
-.IR \%TERMPATH ,
+.IR \%TERMPATH ","
 a list of locations,
 akin to
-.IR PATH ,
+.IR PATH ","
 in which it searches for
 .I termcap
 terminal type descriptions.
@@ -1641,10 +1734,10 @@ and
 are unset or invalid,
 .I \%ncurses
 searches for the files
-.IR \%/etc/termcap ,
-.IR \%/usr/share/misc/termcap ,
+.IR \%/etc/termcap ","
+.IR \%/usr/share/misc/termcap ","
 and
-.IR \%$HOME/.termcap ,
+.IR \%$HOME/.termcap ","
 in that order.
 .SH "ALTERNATE CONFIGURATIONS"
 Many different
@@ -1654,102 +1747,204 @@ determined by the options given to the
 .I \%configure
 script when building the library.
 Run the script with the
-.B \-\-help
+.B \%\-\-help
 option to peruse them all.
 A few are of particular significance to the application developer
 employing
-.IR \%ncurses .
+.IR \%ncurses "."
 .TP 5
 .B \-\-disable\-overwrite
-The standard include for \fI\%ncurses\fP is as noted in \fBSYNOPSIS\fP:
+Avoid file name conflicts between
+.I \%ncurses
+and an existing
+.I curses
+installation on the system.
+The standard C preprocessor inclusion for the
+.I curses
+library is as follows.
 .RS 5
 .PP
 .RS 4
 .EX
-\fB#include <curses.h>\fP
+.nf
+.\" The dummy character prevents undesired rewriting of the next line on
+.\" installation of the man page.
+\fB#\&include <curses.h>\fP
+.fi
 .EE
 .RE
 .PP
-This option is used to avoid filename conflicts when \fI\%ncurses\fP
-is not the main implementation of curses of the computer.
-If \fI\%ncurses\fP is installed disabling overwrite,
-it puts its headers in a subdirectory,
-e.g.,
+If
+.I \%ncurses
+is installed disabling overwrite,
+it puts its header files in a subdirectory.
+Here is an example.
 .PP
 .RS 4
 .EX
-\fB#include <ncurses/curses.h>\fP
+.\" The dummy character prevents undesired rewriting of the next line on
+.\" installation of the man page.
+\fB#\&include <ncurses/curses.h>\fP
 .EE
 .RE
 .PP
-It also omits a symbolic link which would allow you to use \fB\-lcurses\fP
-to build executables.
+With
+.BR \%\-\-disable\-overwrite ","
+installation also omits a symbolic link that would cause the compiler's
+.B \%\-lcurses
+option to link object files with
+.I \%ncurses
+instead of the system
+.I curses
+library.
+.PP
+The directory used by this configuration of
+.I \%ncurses
+is shown in section \*(``SYNOPSIS\*('' above.
 .RE
 .TP 5
 .B \-\-enable\-widec
-The configure script renames the library and
-(if the \fB\-\-disable\-overwrite\fP option is used)
-puts the header files in a different subdirectory.
-All of the library names have a \*(``w\*('' appended to them,
-i.e., instead of
-.RS 5
-.PP
-.RS 4
-.EX
-\fB\-lncurses\fP
-.EE
-.RE
-.PP
-you link with
-.PP
-.RS 4
-.EX
-\fB\-lncursesw\fP
-.EE
-.RE
-.PP
-You must also enable the wide-character features in the header file
-when compiling for the wide-character library
+(default for ABI\ 6+ since 2023-10-21)
+Enable support for wide characters.
+The
+.I \%configure
+script renames the
+.I \%ncurses
+library
+(and the
+.I tinfo
+library,
+if
+.B \%\-\-with\-termlib
+is also specified),
+appending \*(``w\*(''.
+An application desirous of wide-character support then uses
+.B \%\-lncursesw
+(or
+.BR \%\-ltinfow )
+instead of
+.B \%\-lncurses
+(or
+.BR \%\-ltinfo )
+as its linker option.
+The
+.IR ncurses++ ","
+.IR panel ","
+.IR form ","
+and
+.I menu
+libraries are renamed similarly.
+.IP
+An application must also
+define certain C preprocessor symbols
+to enable wide-character features
+in
+.I curses
+header files
 to use the extended (wide-character) functions.
-The symbol which enables these features has changed
-since X/Open Curses, Issue 4:
+The symbol that enables these features has changed
+since X/Open Curses Issue\ 4.
+.RS 5
 .bP
-Originally, the wide-character feature required the symbol
-\fB_XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED\fP
-but that was only valid for XPG4 (1996).
+Originally,
+the wide-character feature required the symbol
+.IR \%_XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED ","
+but that was valid only for XPG4 (1996).
 .bP
-Later, that was deemed conflicting with \fB_XOPEN_SOURCE\fP defined to 500.
+Later,
+that was deemed conflicting with an
+.I \%_XOPEN_SOURCE
+value of 500.
 .bP
 As of mid-2018,
-none of the features in this implementation require a \fB_XOPEN_SOURCE\fP
-feature greater than 600.
-However, X/Open Curses, Issue 7 (2009) recommends defining it to 700.
+no
+.I \%ncurses
+feature requires a
+.I \%_XOPEN_SOURCE
+value greater than 600.
+However,
+X/Open Curses Issue\ 7 (2009) recommends defining it to 700.
 .bP
-Alternatively, you can enable the feature by defining \fBNCURSES_WIDECHAR\fP
-with the caveat that some other header file than \fBcurses.h\fP
-may require a specific value for \fB_XOPEN_SOURCE\fP
+Alternatively,
+you can enable the feature by defining
+.B \%NCURSES_WIDECHAR
+with the caveat that some header file other than
+.I \%curses.h
+may require a specific value for
+.I \%_XOPEN_SOURCE
 (or a system-specific symbol).
-.PP
-The \fI\%curses.h\fP header file installed for the wide-character
-library is designed to be compatible with the non-wide library's header.
-Only the size of the \fI\%WINDOW\fP structure differs;
-few applications require more than pointers to \fI\%WINDOW\fPs.
-.PP
-If the headers are installed allowing overwrite,
-the wide-character library's headers should be installed last,
+.RE
+.IP
+The
+.I \%curses.h
+header file installed
+for the wide-character library
+is designed to be compatible with the non-wide library's header.
+Only the size of the
+.I \%WINDOW
+structure differs;
+few applications require more than pointers to
+.IR \%WINDOW "."
+.\" XXX: What's different in term.h?
+.IP
+If
+.IR \%ncurses 's
+header files are installed allowing overwrite
+(the default,
+but see
+.B \%\-\-disable\-overwrite
+above),
+the wide-character library's headers should be installed last
+by packaging systems and similar,
 to allow applications to be built using either library
 from the same set of headers.
-.RE
 .TP 5
 .B \-\-with\-pthread
-The configure script renames the library.
-All of the library names have a \*(``t\*('' appended to them
-(before any \*(``w\*('' added by \fB\-\-enable\-widec\fP).
+Enable support for multi-threaded applications.
+The
+.I \%configure
+script renames the
+.I \%ncurses
+library
+(and the
+.I tinfo
+library,
+if
+.B \%\-\-with\-termlib
+is also specified),
+appending \*(``t\*(''
+(before any \*(``w\*('' added by
+.BR \%\-\-enable\-widec ).
+An application desirous of support for multiple threads of execution
+then uses,
+for example,
+.B \%\-lncursest
+(or
+.BR \%\-ltinfot )
+instead of
+.B \%\-lncurses
+(or
+.BR \%\-ltinfo )
+as its linker option.
+The
+.IR ncurses++ ","
+.IR panel ","
+.IR form ","
+and
+.I menu
+libraries are renamed similarly.
 .IP
-The global variables such as \fBLINES\fP are replaced by macros to
-allow read-only access.
-At the same time, setter-functions are provided to set these values.
-Some applications (very few) may require changes to work with this convention.
+.I \%ncursest
+and
+.I \%ncursestw
+replace global variables such as
+.B \%LINES
+with macros allowing read-only access.
+At the same time,
+they provide functions to set these values.
+Very few applications require changes
+to work with this convention.
+.\" see definition of NCURSES_WRAPPED_VAR
 .TP 5
 .B \-\-with\-shared
 .tQ
@@ -1758,24 +1953,60 @@ Some applications (very few) may require changes to work with this convention.
 .B \-\-with\-debug
 .tQ
 .B \-\-with\-profile
+Mandate compilation of the
+.I \%ncurses
+library
+(and the
+.I tinfo
+library,
+if
+.B \%\-\-with\-termlib
+is also specified)
+in the specified forms.
 The shared and normal (static) library names differ by their suffixes,
-e.g., \fBlibncurses.so\fP and \fBlibncurses.a\fP.
-The debug and profiling libraries add a \*(``_g\*(''
-and a \*(``_p\*('' to the root names respectively,
-e.g., \fBlibncurses_g.a\fP and \fBlibncurses_p.a\fP.
+as with
+.I \%libncurses.so
+and
+.IR \%libncurses.a "."
+The debugging and profiling libraries add a \*(``_g\*(''
+and a \*(``_p\*('' to the roots of these respective names,
+forming
+.I \%libncurses_g.so
+and
+.IR \%libncurses_p.a ","
+for example.
+The
+.IR ncurses++ ","
+.IR panel ","
+.IR form ","
+and
+.I menu
+libraries are made available similarly.
 .TP 5
 .B \-\-with\-termlib
-Low-level functions which do not depend upon whether the library
-supports wide-characters, are provided in the tinfo library.
-.IP
-By doing this, it is possible to share the tinfo library between
-wide/normal configurations as well as reduce the size of the library
-when only low-level functions are needed.
+Provide
+.IR \%ncurses 's
+lower-level terminal interface functions
+(those that do not depend
+on the
+.I \%SCREEN
+and
+.I \%WINDOW
+abstractions)
+in a library named
+.IR \%tinfo "."
+This arrangement reduces an application's linking and/or loading times
+when it does not require
+.IR curses 's
+higher-level features.
 .IP
-Those functions are described in these pages:
+The following pages document
+.I curses
+functions provided by
+.IR \%tinfo "."
 .RS
 .bP
-\fB\%curs_extend\fP(3X) \- miscellaneous \fIcurses\fP extensions
+\fB\%curs_extend\fP(3X) \- miscellaneous \fIncurses\fP extensions
 .bP
 \fB\%curs_inopts\fP(3X) \- \fIcurses\fP input options
 .bP
@@ -1792,16 +2023,28 @@ database
 .RE
 .TP 5
 .B \-\-with\-trace
-The \fBtrace\fP function normally resides in the debug library,
-but it is sometimes useful to configure this in the shared library.
-Configure scripts should check for the function's existence rather
-than assuming it is always in the debug library.
+Expose the \fBcurses_trace\fP(3X) function
+in the
+.I ncurses(w)
+shared and static libraries.
+Normally,
+it is available only in the debugging library.
+(If
+.B \-\-with\-termlib
+is also specified,
+.I tinfo(w)
+rather than
+.I ncurses(w)
+supplies the deprecated \fBtrace\fP(3X) function.)
+An application's configuration script should check
+for the function's existence
+rather than assuming its confinement to the debugging library.
 .SH FILES
 .TP
 .I @DATADIR@/tabset
 tab stop initialization database
 .TP
-.I \*d
+.I @TERMINFO@
 compiled terminal capability database
 .SH NOTES
 X/Open Curses permits most functions it specifies to be made available
@@ -1819,20 +2062,20 @@ to reuse functions
 those that move the cursor before another operation),
 and
 .bP
-a few special cases.
+in a few special cases.
 .PP
 If the standard output file descriptor of an
 .I \%ncurses
 program is redirected to something that is not a terminal device,
 the library writes screen updates to the standard error file descriptor.
 This was an undocumented feature of SVr3
-.IR curses .
+.IR curses "."
 .PP
 See subsection \*(``Header Files\*('' below regarding symbols exposed by
 inclusion of \fI\%curses.h\fP.
 .SH EXTENSIONS
 .I \%ncurses
-enables an application to capture mouse events on certain terminals,
+enables an application to capture mouse events from certain terminals,
 including \fI\%xterm\fP(1);
 see \fB\%curs_mouse\fP(3X).
 .PP
@@ -1872,14 +2115,17 @@ See \fB\%default_colors\fP(3X).
 An
 .I \%ncurses
 application can eschew knowledge of
+.I \%SCREEN
+and
 .I \%WINDOW
 structure internals,
 instead using accessor functions such as
+\fB\%is_cbreak\fP(3X) and
 \fB\%is_scrollok\fP(3X).
 .PP
 .I \%ncurses
-enables an application to direct application output to a printer
-attached to the terminal device;
+enables an application to direct its output to a printer attached to the
+terminal device;
 see \fB\%curs_print\fP(3X).
 .PP
 .I \%ncurses
@@ -1889,37 +2135,35 @@ and \fB\%extended_slk_color\fP(3X) as a form of \fB\%slk_color\fP(3X)
 that can gather color information from them when many colors are
 supported.
 .PP
-Some extensions are available only if
 .I \%ncurses
 permits modification of \fB\%unctrl\fP(3X)'s behavior;
 see \fB\%use_legacy_coding\fP(3X).
-.I \%ncurses
-is compiled to support them;
-section \*(``ALTERNATE CONFIGURATIONS\*('' describes how.
-.bP
+.PP
 Rudimentary support for multi-threaded applications may be available;
 see \fBcurs_threads\fP(3X).
-.bP
+.PP
 Functions that ease the management of multiple screens can be exposed;
 see \fBcurs_sp_funcs\fP(3X).
-.bP
+.PP
 To aid applications to debug their memory usage,
-.I ncurses
+.I \%ncurses
 optionally offers functions to more aggressively free memory it
 dynamically allocates itself;
 see \fBcurs_memleaks\fP(3X).
-.bP
+.PP
 The library facilitates auditing and troubleshooting of its behavior;
 see \fBcurs_trace\fP(3X).
-.bP
-The compiler option
+.PP
+Compiling
+.I \%ncurses
+with the option
 .B \%\-DUSE_GETCAP
-causes the library to fall back to reading
+causes it to fall back to reading
 .I \%/etc/termcap
 if the terminal setup code cannot find a
 .I \%term\%info
 entry corresponding to
-.IR TERM .
+.IR TERM "."
 Use of this feature is not recommended,
 as it essentially includes an entire
 .I termcap
@@ -1943,7 +2187,9 @@ such as wide-character and color support.
 .I \%ncurses
 intends base-level conformance with X/Open Curses,
 and supports all features of its enhanced level
-except the \fB\%untic\fP utility.
+except the
+.I \%untic
+utility.
 .PP
 Differences between X/Open Curses and
 .I \%ncurses
@@ -1963,11 +2209,10 @@ to ensure that they are not null.
 This is done primarily to guard against programmer error.
 The standard interface does not provide a way for the library
 to tell an application which of several possible errors occurred.
-Relying on this
-(or some other)
-extension adversely affects the portability of
-.I curses
-applications.
+An application that relies on
+.I \%ncurses
+to check its function parameters for validity limits its portability and
+robustness.
 .SS "Padding Differences"
 In historical
 .I curses
@@ -1998,7 +2243,7 @@ The header file
 itself includes the header files
 .I \%stdio.h
 and
-.IR \%unctrl.h .
+.IR \%unctrl.h "."
 .PP
 X/Open Curses has more to say,
 .RS 4
@@ -2006,20 +2251,20 @@ X/Open Curses has more to say,
 The inclusion of
 .I \%curses.h
 may make visible all symbols from the headers
-.IR \%stdio.h ,
-.IR \%term.h ,
-.IR \%termios.h ,
+.IR \%stdio.h ","
+.IR \%term.h ","
+.IR \%termios.h ","
 and
-.IR \%wchar.h .
+.IR \%wchar.h "."
 .RE
 .PP
 but does not finish the story.
 A more complete account follows.
 .bP
-Starting with 4BSD
-.I curses
-(1980)
-all implementations have provided a
+The first
+.IR curses ","
+in 4BSD,
+provided a
 .I \%curses.h
 file.
 .IP
@@ -2030,7 +2275,7 @@ code included
 and
 .I \%unctrl.h
 from an internal header file
-.IR \%curses.ext ,
+.IR \%curses.ext ","
 where
 \*(``ext\*('' abbreviated \*(``externs\*(''.
 .IP
@@ -2045,12 +2290,12 @@ and
 but nothing in
 .I \%curses.h
 itself relied upon
-.IR \%stdio.h .
+.IR \%stdio.h "."
 .bP
 SVr2
 .I curses
 added
-.IR \%newterm ,
+.IR \%newterm ","
 which relies upon
 .I \%stdio.h
 because its function prototype employs the
@@ -2062,9 +2307,9 @@ SVr4
 added
 .I \%putwin
 and
-.IR \%getwin ,
+.IR \%getwin ","
 which also use
-.IR \%stdio.h .
+.IR \%stdio.h "."
 .IP
 X/Open Curses specifies all three of these functions.
 .IP
@@ -2073,22 +2318,22 @@ SVr4
 and X/Open Curses do not require the developer to include
 .I \%stdio.h
 before
-.IR \%curses.h .
+.IR \%curses.h "."
 Both document use of
 .I curses
 as requiring only
-.IR \%curses.h .
+.IR \%curses.h "."
 .IP
 As a result,
 standard
 .I \%curses.h
 always includes
-.IR \%stdio.h .
+.IR \%stdio.h "."
 .bP
 X/Open Curses and SVr4
 .I curses
 are inconsistent with respect to
-.IR \%unctrl.h .
+.IR \%unctrl.h "."
 .IP
 As noted in \fBcurs_util\fP(3X),
 .I \%ncurses
@@ -2113,7 +2358,7 @@ from
 to declare
 .I \%setupterm
 in
-.IR \%curses.h ,
+.IR \%curses.h ","
 but
 .I \%ncurses
 and Solaris
@@ -2125,7 +2370,7 @@ AIX
 includes
 .I \%term.h
 and
-.IR \% termios.h .
+.IR \%termios.h "."
 Again,
 .I \%ncurses
 and Solaris
@@ -2136,20 +2381,15 @@ X/Open Curses says that
 .I \%curses.h
 .B may
 include
-.IR \%term.h ,
+.IR \%term.h ","
 but does not require it to do so.
 .IP
 Some programs use functions declared in both
 .I \%curses.h
 and
-.IR \%term.h ,
-and must include both header files in the same module.
-Very old versions of AIX
-.I curses
-required inclusion of
-.I \%curses.h
-before
-.IR \%term.h .
+.IR \%term.h ","
+and must include both header files in the same translation unit.
+.\" Is that true in ncurses?  Can we supply an example? --GBR
 .IP
 The header files supplied by
 .I \%ncurses
@@ -2157,11 +2397,11 @@ include the standard library headers required for its declarations,
 so
 .IR \%ncurses 's
 own header files can be included in any order.
-But for portability,
-you should include
+For portability even to old AIX systems,
+include
 .I \%curses.h
 before
-.IR \%term.h .
+.IR \%term.h "."
 .bP
 X/Open Curses says \*(``may make visible\*('' because including a header
 file does not necessarily make visible all of the symbols in it
@@ -2185,7 +2425,7 @@ is included,
 its symbols
 .B may \" bold for consistency in this paragraph
 be made visible depending on the value of the
-.B _XOPEN_SOURCE
+.I \%_XOPEN_SOURCE
 feature test macro.
 .bP
 X/Open Curses mandates an application's inclusion of one standard C
@@ -2218,11 +2458,11 @@ SVr4
 provided for the possibility that an application might include either
 .I \%varargs.h
 or
-.IR \%stdarg.h .
+.IR \%stdarg.h "."
 These represented contrasting approaches to handling variadic
 argument lists.
 The older interface,
-.IR \%varargs.h ,
+.IR \%varargs.h ","
 used a pointer to
 .I char \" V7, 32V, System III, 3BSD
 for variadic functions'
@@ -2230,9 +2470,9 @@ for variadic functions'
 parameter.
 Later,
 the list acquired its own standard data type,
-.IR \%va_list ,
+.IR \%va_list ","
 defined in
-.IR \%stdarg.h ,
+.IR \%stdarg.h ","
 empowering the compiler to check the types of a function call's actual
 parameters against the formal ones declared in its prototype.
 .IP
@@ -2244,7 +2484,7 @@ before
 because they either have allowed for a special type,
 or,
 like
-.IR \%ncurses ,
+.IR \%ncurses ","
 they include
 .I \%stdarg.h
 themselves to provide a portable interface.