Libghostty is coming (mitchellh.com)

Article summary

The author, Mitchell Hashimoto, announces the development of libghostty, a cross-platform, minimal dependency library for embedding terminal emulation in applications. Libghostty aims to provide a stable, reusable solution for terminal emulation, which is currently implemented in an ad-hoc manner by many programs. The first library, libghostty-vt, will provide an API for parsing terminal sequences and maintaining terminal state. The author plans to expand support to additional targets, including Windows, embedded devices, and the web via WASM.

Main themes

• Terminal Emulation
• Libghostty Development
• Cross-Platform Support
• Text Editing
• Terminal Multiplexers
• Neovim Integration

What commenters say

• Some users are excited about the potential of libghostty to improve terminal emulation and are looking forward to using it in their projects.
• Others are concerned about the lack of backwards compatibility with older systems, such as macOS versions prior to 13.
• There is a debate about the importance of features like search functionality in terminal emulators, with some users relying on external tools or workflows to achieve similar results.
• Some users appreciate the potential of libghostty to simplify terminal emulation and make it more accessible, while others are skeptical about its usefulness or prioritize other features.
• The discussion highlights the diversity of user needs and workflows, with some relying heavily on terminal emulators and others using alternative tools or approaches.
• There is a tension between the desire for cutting-edge features and the need for stability and backwards compatibility in software development.