zti does not show colors by default on ubuntu + bash + putty

[1000TurquoisePogs]

With env vars like TERM=xterm-256color and/or COLORTERM=truecolor I thought I was in the clear on color support.
Other programs such as bash, ls, emacs... they're working wonderfully with colors by default.
Not so on zti - monochrome by default.

tnz/tnz/_termlib.py

Lines 1457 to 1458 in f9dce5f

	if os.getenv("TERM_PROGRAM") == "Apple_Terminal":
	colors = 256

This line was suspicious to me - why force colors on an apple terminal?
So I searched some more and found I could force colors too.
End result: you can get colors by setting env var TNZ_COLORS=256, but not sure why it didn't default to it considering system configuration.

[najohnsn]

Sounds like your terminal does not support true color. You got the right action to take. There is some doc here: https://github.com/IBM/tnz/wiki/Colors

[najohnsn]

Maybe zti could default to use both 256-color and truecolor just in case truecolor is ignored?

[1000TurquoisePogs]

I'll check more on the truecolor vs 256. But, is there a context you support where zti really needs more colors? GDDM would allow it, but is GDDM supported? That'd need like, sixel support in the ssh terminal.

[najohnsn]

GDDM is not supported.

The use of true color verses 256 or 8 color modes isn't really about the number of colors. It's about achieving the desired color palette without having to configure the terminal emulator.

It's a shame that, at this day and age, there are popular emulators that don't support true color. But that is why zti supports other color modes.

[1000TurquoisePogs]

I figured out what happened on my end just now.

I had a perfectly functional version of putty, such that I haven't updated it in years but thought that I did. I just found it was from 2017, and updating it gave me 24 bit color.
Not the first time I've encountered someone with a very old version of putty, since its one of those programs you don't think about much until something stops working.

It's a shame that, at this day and age, there are popular emulators that don't support true color
I think most do, but not from that long ago. So assuming its there could result in others opening the same ticket.

Closing this one for now though since works for me.

P.S. you may want to think more on this one:

The use of true color verses 256 or 8 color modes isn't really about the number of colors. It's about achieving the desired color palette without having to configure the terminal emulator.

I've seen enough people that customize their SSH and TN3270 colors for some reason. Some people for example find 3270 blue to be way too dark blue, so they customize it. Being able to stick to the primary VT colors could be a convenient way to color customize.

[najohnsn]

Thanks for the explanation!