README.md - gramscii - A simple editor for ASCII box-and-arrow charts
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README.md (3485B)
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1 gramscii -- interactive tool for ASCII box-and-arrows charts
2 ============================================================
3
4 `gramscii` (pronounced "grrr'a(m)sky", more or less like "ASCII" but
5 with a leading "grrr") is a simple CLI tool to create and edit
6 box-and-arrows charts using ASCII characters.
7
8 `gramscii` is interactive and its commands are quite intuitive to
9 anybody who does not need a mouse to be productive. You can move around
10 the screen with the usual `hjkl` keys, but you will travel at
11 ligthning speed by placing one of your other fingers on `SHIFT`. You
12 start drawing a box with `b`, and you place an arrow with `a`.
13 For more information, just read the manpage.
14
15 `gramscii` aims at remaining small, avoiding bloat, and being
16 portable. It is written in ASCII C90, it requires only an ANSI
17 VT100-compatible terminal (real or virtual), and it does not use any
18 external library (nope, not even ncurses!). Hence, you should be able to
19 compile and run `gramscii` on any operating system with a C90 libc
20 and a VT100 terminal emulator.
21
22 I have tested it on Linux and BSD, compiled with `gcc`,
23 `clang`, and `tcc`, and linked it against `glibc`,
24 `musl`, and whatever libc was available on FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and
25 NetBSD. It just worked.
26
27 INSTALL
28 =======
29
30 Edit `config.h` and/or `config.mk` to suit your preferences.
31 Then just:
32
33 make
34
35 to build `gramsci` and:
36
37 ./gramscii
38
39 to execute it. `man` is your friend.
40
41
42 WHY?
43 ====
44
45 As most of the software out there, `gramscii` comes out of
46 frustration and pain.
47
48 I have been producing box-and-arrow diagrams in ASCII for quite a while.
49 I know that there exist ad-hoc plugins for `vim(1)` and
50 `emacs(1)`, but I was not happy with any of them, to say the least.
51 There are also a few point-and-click GUI tools to do the same, but most
52 of them depend on a variety of libraries/modules. And again, why would
53 you need a fancy GUI to create ASCII charts?
54
55 There has been a recent proliferation of browser-based point-and-click
56 tools to draw ASCII charts. Like, are you serious? Why on Earth should
57 people accept to load hundred thousands LOCs of obscure javascript code
58 on a hyper-bloated web browser and use a fancy point-and-click interface
59 to produce......guess what......ASCII charts that are best-viewed viewed
60 on a VT100 terminal?
61
62 We must say no to madness. We must repudiate bloat. We must reject
63 useless featurism. Software must be reasonable, simple, small, and
64 functional.
65
66 But wait...
67 ============
68
69 You might have noticed that the name `gramscii` is reminiscent of
70 Antonio Gramsci, the phylosopher and politician who was among the
71 founders of the Italian Communist Party in 1921. Now, Gramscii (the
72 philosopher) strongly believed that every single human is an
73 intellectual, a philosopher, and an artist, and maintained that societal
74 changes are only possible when a class exerts intellectual and moral
75 leadership over its contemporaries. So just get rid of all your shiny
76 iPointless things and come back to reality.
77
78 COPYING
79 =======
80
81 `gramscii` is written and maintained by Vincenzo 'KatolaZ' Nicosia
82 <katolaz@freaknet.org>. You can use, modify and/or redistribute it under
83 the terms of the GNU General Public Licence, either version 3 of the
84 License or, at your option, any later version.
85
86 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
87 WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
88 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
89 General Public License for more details.