Re: (getenv "TERM") always returns "dumb"

[Juri Linkov]

Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> writes:
>>     Most processes started from within Emacs do not talk to a smart
>>     terminal, but they believe they do.
>
>> Why do they believe they do?  Is it because the Lisp code that starts
>> them does not specify "dumb" as the terminal type?
>> If so, the straightforward solution is to change the Lisp code
>> that invokes them.
>
> Right, but *none* of the subprocesses can talk directly to the terminal on
> which Emacs was started, so every single piece of elisp that starts
> a process should change the TERM variable.  It seems preferable to change it
> once and forall, doesn't it?

If there is a real need to preserve the initial environment, the whole
initial `process-environment' could be copied to some new special
variable.

OTOH, if modifying the TERM variable is only needed for subprocesses,
all low-level functions that invoke subprocesses could append the TERM
variable to `process-environment' locally from some new user option
which specifies additional environment variables for subprocesses, e.g.

(defcustom exec-variables '("TERM=dumb" ...) ...)



BTW, there is one problem in the `setenv' function - it modifies
`process-environment' destructively, and so the global value becomes
modified even for let-bound variables:

(getenv "TERM") -> "dumb"
(let ((process-environment process-environment)) (setenv "TERM" "xterm")) -> 
"xterm"
(getenv "TERM") -> "xterm"

Of course, `copy-sequence' might be used in this case, but there are
many places in Emacs where the copy is not created for let-bound
`process-environment'.  This is too error-prone.

I think, unless there are reasons not to do so, to replace `setcar'
in `setenv' with code deleting the old element and adding a new one
to the head of the list.

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/