Zhcon is a speedy terminal emulator designed for CJK languages on Linux and FreeBSD systems. It supports double-byte characters for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages.
I recently tried Zhcon, a fast and efficient double-byte virtual console designed for Chinese, Japanese and Korean (CJK) languages. It is compatible with GNU/Linux and FreeBSD operating systems and allows users to display and input CJK double-byte characters on a console device.
Zhcon has a host of features that add to its appeal. Firstly, it supports a broad range of video hardware through three drivers: FrameBuffer, VGA and libggi. The VGA driver does not require a recompile of the kernel, making the setup process easier. Furthermore, it can support GB2312/GBK/BIG5/JIS/KSCM double-byte encodings, allowing users to access multilingual text with ease. The software automatically detects and converts between GB/Big5 encodings and has a hot key to switch encodings on the fly.
Additionally, Zhcon can use a 12-24 pixel font to adapt to screen size and supports Win98 and UCDOS IME tables, while also providing support for UNICON's input method. The software is capable of displaying table lines correctly under CJK mode, and has a built-in history scrolling feature. It is compatible with a range of platforms, including Redhat 7.x/8.x/9.x, Debian and Mandrake 8.x.
Setting up the console as an fb device is quick and easy, and basic instructions on how to add a line to the /etc/lilo.conf file are provided. Zhcon also provides a table of mode numbers for use with the VGA prompt or the LILO program, allowing for customization of the console display.
Zhcon conveniently offers a variety of hotkeys to make use of its many features, including pop up online help, open/close input method, show/hide input bar, toggle full/half char mode, toggle Chinese symbol, set encoding and switch between inputs. The software also has an English mode and a history scrolling mode, which can be accessed using SHIFT_PAGEUP, SHIFT_PAGEDOWN, SHIFT_ARROWUP and SHIFT_ARROWDOWN.
Finally, this release includes a fix for a segfault and adds more user-friendly messaging when Zhcon cannot open the graphical device. Overall, Zhcon is an efficient and user-friendly double-byte virtual console designed for multilingual users.
Zhcon has a host of features that add to its appeal. Firstly, it supports a broad range of video hardware through three drivers: FrameBuffer, VGA and libggi. The VGA driver does not require a recompile of the kernel, making the setup process easier. Furthermore, it can support GB2312/GBK/BIG5/JIS/KSCM double-byte encodings, allowing users to access multilingual text with ease. The software automatically detects and converts between GB/Big5 encodings and has a hot key to switch encodings on the fly.
Additionally, Zhcon can use a 12-24 pixel font to adapt to screen size and supports Win98 and UCDOS IME tables, while also providing support for UNICON's input method. The software is capable of displaying table lines correctly under CJK mode, and has a built-in history scrolling feature. It is compatible with a range of platforms, including Redhat 7.x/8.x/9.x, Debian and Mandrake 8.x.
Setting up the console as an fb device is quick and easy, and basic instructions on how to add a line to the /etc/lilo.conf file are provided. Zhcon also provides a table of mode numbers for use with the VGA prompt or the LILO program, allowing for customization of the console display.
Zhcon conveniently offers a variety of hotkeys to make use of its many features, including pop up online help, open/close input method, show/hide input bar, toggle full/half char mode, toggle Chinese symbol, set encoding and switch between inputs. The software also has an English mode and a history scrolling mode, which can be accessed using SHIFT_PAGEUP, SHIFT_PAGEDOWN, SHIFT_ARROWUP and SHIFT_ARROWDOWN.
Finally, this release includes a fix for a segfault and adds more user-friendly messaging when Zhcon cannot open the graphical device. Overall, Zhcon is an efficient and user-friendly double-byte virtual console designed for multilingual users.
What's New
Version 0.2.5: N/A