Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

ncurses VS wezterm

Compare ncurses VS wezterm and see what are their differences

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ncurses logo ncurses

ncurses (new curses) is a programming library that provides an API which allows the programmer to...

wezterm logo wezterm

GPU-accelerated cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer made with Rust.
  • ncurses Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-21
  • wezterm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-02

ncurses features and specs

  • Portability
    ncurses is highly portable and can run on a wide range of Unix-like systems, making it suitable for developing cross-platform terminal applications.
  • Terminal Control
    Provides comprehensive terminal control capabilities, allowing developers to manipulate text, colors, and screen dimensions easily.
  • Wide Adoption
    Being a widely-used library, ncurses has an extensive user base and a wealth of resources and community support available.
  • Enhanced User Interface
    Allows the creation of text user interfaces with features like windows, menus, and forms, improving the interactivity of terminal applications.
  • Extensive Function Set
    Offers a rich set of functions for handling input, output, and special effects in text-mode applications, facilitating complex interface designs.

Possible disadvantages of ncurses

  • Learning Curve
    Has a steep learning curve, especially for developers who are new to terminal-based UI programming.
  • C Programming Requirement
    Primarily a C library, which might not be appealing to developers more comfortable with modern or higher-level languages.
  • Limited to Text Mode
    Bound by the constraints of text mode, limiting the kinds of interactions and graphical representations possible compared to graphical user interfaces.
  • Complexity of Code
    Complex terminal applications can become unwieldy with a large amount of ncurses code, making maintenance challenging.
  • Terminal Compatibility
    While ncurses is designed to be portable, not all terminal emulators may fully support all its features, leading to potential inconsistencies.

wezterm features and specs

  • Performance
    WezTerm is known for its high performance and low resource usage, making it suitable for heavy terminal workloads.
  • Cross-Platform
    WezTerm supports multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing for a consistent terminal experience across different environments.
  • Modern Features
    It offers modern features like GPU acceleration, ligature support, and configurable color schemes, providing a better user experience.
  • Extensibility
    WezTerm is highly configurable and extensible through its Lua scripting interface, letting users tailor the terminal to their workflow.
  • Multiplexing
    It has built-in support for terminal multiplexing, which allows users to split windows and manage multiple terminal sessions more efficiently.
  • Active Development
    The project is actively maintained and regularly updated with new features and bug fixes.

Possible disadvantages of wezterm

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The extensive configurability and scripting capabilities can be overwhelming for new users who are not familiar with Lua or advanced terminal configurations.
  • Sparse Documentation
    The documentation, while improving, is still not as comprehensive as some other terminals, which can make initial setup and customization challenging.
  • Young Project
    Being relatively newer compared to some other terminal emulators, it may lack some features that long-established users might expect.
  • Limited Community Support
    Due to its younger status and niche user base, there might be less community support and fewer third-party resources compared to more mature terminal emulators.

Analysis of wezterm

Overall verdict

  • WezTerm is generally considered a good choice for users who value performance, configurability, and modern terminal features. It stands out for its emphasis on speed and its robust set of functionalities that cater to both casual and advanced users.

Why this product is good

  • WezTerm is a terminal emulator known for its speed and configurability. It supports modern terminal features including GPU acceleration, ligatures, and Unicode support, making it appealing for power users and developers. The terminal's ability to handle multiple panes and tabs efficiently, along with its remote connectivity features, adds to its versatility. WezTerm's active development and responsive community are also significant advantages, ensuring ongoing improvements and support.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a fast and versatile terminal emulator.
  • Users who need support for GPU acceleration and modern text rendering.
  • People who require advanced features like quick pane and tab management.
  • Those who appreciate active development and community support.

ncurses videos

Ncurses gameplay of PointandHit linux terminal game

wezterm videos

No wezterm videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ncurses and wezterm)
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
SSH
0 0%
100% 100
Bookmark Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Terminal Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, wezterm seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 48 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

ncurses mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ncurses yet. Tracking of ncurses recommendations started around Mar 2021.

wezterm mentions (48)

  • wezterm-cmdpicker: A Command Palette for Your WezTerm Terminal
    I wanted that same experience in WezTerm. So I built wezterm-cmdpicker. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Make Wezterm Mimic Tmux
    A month ago, I came across WezTerm, a new GPU-accelerated, cross-platform terminal emulator written in Rust (and Iโ€™m not a Rust fanboy, for real!). It piqued my interest, so I decided to give it a try. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • In your opinion, what is the text-editor equivalent of Openbox?
    2) Examples of text editors that make use of features of the gui window manager the text editor is run under: gvim, gedit, leafpad[5], overleaf[6] 3) text editor with 'run-time' presentation extension of protocols such as html : vim live server[7] 4) write one's own custom interface to use with bashed[8] ---- [0] : intro to terminal multiplexers (part 1) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0upAE692fY [1] :... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Executable Blog Posts: Second Take
    I used Lua for years to configure my awesomewm desktop environment. Then, I started using it to configure my Wezterm. Since I bumped into an Emacs bug (lsp-mode bug to be fair), I switched quickly to Neovim after 20 years of Emacs, and I am using Lua to configure my Neovim. Last but not least, OpenResty gives my Nginx superpowers with Lua. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • WezTerm: an actually good config key binding recipe
    While WezTerm is a great terminal with sane defaults, it doesn't provide The default key binding to open the configuration file and edit it. That is Understandable, everyone may have their own preference for that. Here we will Figure out the recipe that would work everywhere and abide by modern standards. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing ncurses and wezterm, you can also consider the following products

FINAL CUT - Library for creating terminal applications with text-based widgets

Konsole - Konsole is a free terminal emulator which is part of KDE Software Compilation.

Ratatui - Rust library that's all about cooking up terminal user interfaces (TUIs).

KiTTY - KiTTY is a fork from version 0.70 of PuTTY. It adds extra features to PuTTY.

newt - Programming library for color text mode, widget based user interfaces.

Kitty terminal - Super fast, GPU and OpenGL based terminal emulator with tiling support