Windows: System.Console driver

[migueldeicaza]

Currently the only backend in use for gui.cs is the ncurses backend. There is a partial implementation of a System.Console based driver but it is not complete.

Currently we use mainloop.cs to monitor input on standard input and wake up the mainloop to read the input. We need a variant that works for Windows, likely using Console.ReadKey and using some AutoResetEvent to wake up the thread.

Generally, we can either make mainloop.cs fully cross platform, or we could surface Windows/Unix codepaths, and let the consumer (in this case, gui.cs) deal with it.

In addition to that, the backend itself needs to be completed.

[fanoI]

I think it will be great to have a fully cross platform without dependency to ncurses so it could work on OS that have neither ncurses neither a C API (as Cosmos).

[migueldeicaza]

Right, we need to auto-detect the platform at startup and choose the right driver, currently it is hardcoded to NCurses and I change it when I work there.

https://github.com/migueldeicaza/gui.cs/blob/c5325c55272d5e35b824e99076ad1c67d7719be3/Terminal.Gui/Core.cs#L1160

[fanoI]

In you opinion C# Console can do all NCurses does?

[migueldeicaza]

This is now implemented.

[fanoI]

Thank you! I'll test this soon...