Re: Implementing image support for kitty terminal

[Akib Azmain Turja <akib@disroot.org>]

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Jose Antonio Ortega Ruiz <jao@gnu.org> writes:

> Hi,
>
> The kitty terminal emulator (which runs under X11 and wayland) offers a
> simple protocol for displaying images, fully described at
> <https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/graphics-protocol/>.  

Many text terminals also happen to show images.  But I think Kitty is a
video terminal that also happen to show texts.

>
> In a nutshell, it accepts an escape sequence that make it enter "graphic
> mode", followed by either encoded image data or a path to an image file
> or a shared memory location to display.  Among several other niceties,
> the protocol allows drawing to rectangles specified in cell units. As a
> simple example, the sequence:
>
>    <ESC>_Gf=100,t=f,c=50,r=100;<encoded /path/to/file.png><ESC>\
>
> would make kitty draw the image in file.png rescaling it to 50 columns
> and 100 rows.  By default, the current cursor position is used, but it's
> also possible to specify pixel offsets and sizes.
>
> At first sight, it looks as if adding support for this protocol to
> emacs's tty terminal (when kitty, or the capability (it seems other
> terminals support the same protocol) is detected) shouldn't be too
> complex, and with that, perhaps, provide direct support for the
> elisp-level image- API for these terminals (so that, for instance,
> doc-view or pdf-tools or displaying images in eww buffers would work out
> of the box).  Am i wrong?

IMHO, showing images by converting to text would be a better choice.  It
would also allow to show image on Linux console.  Because the idea you
propose would probably make the Emacs C source more complex.

>
> On a personal note, if that were possible it would put emacs on a kitty
> terminal on the same league as the full graphical version for my needs,
> with the added benefit of dramatically reduced RAM footprint, faster
> display and, last but not least, a truly great alternative to pgtk in
> wayland.  So, if the implementation is feasible, i'd be willing to help
> if needed.

You can use Xwayland to run X applications on Wayland.  But Emacs has a
pgtk port, so you shouldn't need that.

Is there any X server for sixel terminals (like Kitty)?  If there is any
then you can that to run graphical Emacs in terminal.

And about the RAM footprint, every new feature usually increases RAM
footprint; so implementing this would also probably increase Emacs's
memory footprint.

>
> Thanks,
> jao

-- 
Akib Azmain Turja

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