[fpc-pascal]Text output oddities with W2k

[Thomas Schatzl]

Hello all,

    I've severe problems with text output of FPC programs on W2k consoles.
Depending on the current time (well, I don't know exactly why) one of the
following oddities show up here (on 2 completely different computers btw):

- text output is limited to a window to, say, around 10 lines
- text output starts _above_ the line I entered the command to start the
program or at the top
- text is written black in black
- it works fine (sometimes, usually when the cursor is at the top of the
window when starting the program, e.g. after a "cls" on the command prompt
followed by the program start)

Note that the programs I use only issue a series of writeln(); no
multithreading involved.

I already thought that the problem is that the console uses a line buffer
larger than the display window, but changing that doesn't help at all.

These problems show up in any FPC Win32 programs - for example also in the
FPC - IDE: When I start it up (without params), the only things I can see is
the top menu bar and the FPC - logo. There's no bottom status bar at all
(when in windowed mode). If I switch to fullscreen the bottom status bar is
there (but not at the bottom of the text screen but four lines above it -
the compiler messages window is cut at the status bar). When switch back to
windowed mode the bottom status bar is gone again.

If I happen to open a new window (in windowed mode; File->New) then the edit
window is limited to 42 lines, making a total of 46 lines with the border
and top and bottom status bar (yes, the bottom status bar appears
mysteriously). The command window is set to 39 lines though, so I'd have to
scroll around all the time while programming. Again in fullscreen mode
(80x50 characters) the
last four lines are empty.
After switching the window to 50 lines, in windowed mode everything is ok,
the whole edit window shows up. But when switching to fullscreen, the bottom
four lines are still empty (black, unused).
If I open a message window (F12), the height of the text area is cut to two
lines,
because it's upper edge is placed 3 lines above the bottom status bar
(probably this is intentionally done, but it wasn't the case in the BP IDE
by default).
When exiting (pressing Alt-X) the new command prompt is at around line 10.
The upper lines are filled with colored text garbage (always the same),
the others are mostly black. Probably this might be some ansi - drawing
though;
could someone acknowledge that ?

[Here's the text which is shown btw:
x;WTs3bPE.;EAC.;ESSW. CORTUxPEREF=
i6d6en0entPERV6OSRS=aome:omPPPSeiCymt\NECOEAN
\A1mM:K~DILL\pEM=TUN=itoSRL:knuEtunmstwi:N


                                                     ÷ xx






]<-- end of text

I tried on a fresh installed FPC 1.04 setup.

What buggers me most is that only FPC programs show that behaviour. Win32
console mode programs compiled in any other language I tried (java, vc++,
Delphi) don't show similar behaviour at all. Disabling graphics hardware
acceleration doesn't change a thing either.

Regards,
    Thomas