Expand pyte vs GoPyte comparison and add alternatives
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@@ -402,23 +402,27 @@ Not yet started. This would be a separate project (`textual-webterm-go`) providi
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This section compares the Python **pyte** terminal emulator and the Go **GoPyte** emulator (per their upstream documentation/README). The focus is on feature parity, Unicode handling, performance expectations, and integration risk for textual-webterm.
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### Feature Matrix (High-Level)
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### Feature Matrix (Detailed)
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| Capability | pyte (Python) | GoPyte (Go) | Notes / Risks |
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|-----------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
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| **Terminal standards** | VTXXX/ANSI (VT100-style) | VT100/VT220/ANSI (claims) | GoPyte scope may differ; verify DEC private modes. |
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| **Screen buffer model** | In-memory Screen buffer (sparse-like cells) | In-memory Screen buffer | Both expose per-cell attributes, but data model differs. |
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| **Alternate screen** | Supported (via Screen classes) | Supported (claims) | Validate behavior with full-screen apps (vim, less). |
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| **Scrollback/history** | HistoryScreen class (limited, configurable) | Built-in scrollback (claims) | Ensure scrollback size/cost acceptable. |
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| **Resize behavior** | Resizes screen + cursor + dirty state | Resizes screen + content (claims) | Validate content preservation on resize. |
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| **SGR attributes** | Bold, underline, reverse, color | SGR attributes (claims) | Verify complete SGR coverage (e.g., faint, italics). |
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| **Colors** | ANSI color codes supported | ANSI color codes supported | 256-color/truecolor support must be verified. |
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| **Unicode width** | Uses `wcwidth`/unicode width | Uses `go-runewidth` | Emoji and East Asian width differences likely. |
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| **Performance** | Pure Python, adequate for most loads | Go, claims high throughput | Benchmark with real terminal workloads. |
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| **API stability** | Mature, widely used | Newer, smaller ecosystem | Risk: breaking API changes or missing features. |
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| **Testing** | Mature test suite | Claims high coverage | Validate critical sequences for our use. |
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| Capability | pyte (Python) | GoPyte (Go) | Relevance to terminal capture | Gaps / Risks |
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|-----------|---------------|-------------|-------------------------------|--------------|
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| **Terminal standards** | VTXXX/ANSI (VT100-style) | VT100/VT220/ANSI (claims) | Core escape parsing for screen state | Verify DEC private modes & OSC support. |
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| **Screen buffer** | Screen + HistoryScreen classes | Screen buffer (claims) | Required for SVG snapshot state | Data model differences may affect attributes. |
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| **Alt screen** | Supported | Supported (claims) | Full-screen apps (vim/less/htop) | Must validate mode switching correctness. |
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| **Scrollback/history** | HistoryScreen (configurable) | Built-in scrollback (claims) | Useful for replay + screenshots | Size/perf tradeoffs; semantics differ. |
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| **Resize handling** | Resizes + cursor + dirty state | Resizes + content (claims) | Correct dimensions for SVG | Content preservation on resize is critical. |
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| **SGR attributes** | Bold/underline/reverse/color | SGR attrs (claims) | SVG text styling | Verify italics/faint/strikethrough. |
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| **Color depth** | ANSI + 256 + (truecolor in practice) | ANSI + 256? (verify) | Accurate screenshots | Truecolor/24-bit must be validated. |
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| **Unicode & width** | `wcwidth`-style width | `go-runewidth` | Glyph positioning | Emoji/CJK width divergence is likely. |
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| **Combining marks** | Handled via Unicode rules | Depends on runewidth | Accuracy of grapheme clusters | May require additional grapheme handling. |
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| **Dirty tracking** | Exposes dirty flag set | Unknown (likely missing) | Screenshot cache invalidation | May need manual diff tracking in Go. |
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| **Hyperlinks (OSC 8)** | Not explicit in docs | Unknown | Optional for capture | Lower priority but worth checking. |
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| **DEC modes** | Partial (VTXXX scope) | Unknown | Full-screen apps | Validate cursor keys, keypad modes. |
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| **Performance** | Python, moderate throughput | Go, claims high throughput | Large-output sessions | Benchmark with 100k+ lines. |
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| **API stability** | Mature, widely used | Newer, smaller ecosystem | Maintenance risk | Potential breaking changes. |
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| **Test coverage** | Mature test suite | Claims high coverage | Regression risk | Must run our own suite. |
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### Unicode & Emoji Handling
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### Unicode & Emoji Handling (Required for Capture Quality)
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**pyte**
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- Uses Python Unicode + width calculation (via `wcwidth`-style logic).
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@@ -429,10 +433,11 @@ This section compares the Python **pyte** terminal emulator and the Go **GoPyte*
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- Width differences vs `wcwidth` may cause rendering mismatches in SVG screenshots.
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**Impact for textual-webterm**
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- Any width mismatch affects glyph positioning in screenshots.
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- We must validate CJK/emoji rendering across browsers and SVG output.
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- Width mismatches affect SVG x-coordinates (misaligned screenshots).
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- Emoji sequences (ZWJ, variation selectors) can render as multi-cell in one library and single-cell in another.
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- Must test CJK + emoji + combining marks against our SVG exporter.
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### Performance & Memory
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### Performance & Memory (Capture-Heavy Workloads)
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**pyte**
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- Pure Python; adequate for typical terminal workloads.
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@@ -442,7 +447,7 @@ This section compares the Python **pyte** terminal emulator and the Go **GoPyte*
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- Go implementation; upstream claims high throughput.
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- Performance depends heavily on screen model + allocation strategy.
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**Action**: Benchmark with real workloads (large scrollback, fast output).
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**Action**: Benchmark with real workloads (fast output, scrollback growth, frequent screenshots).
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### Maintenance & Maturity
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@@ -456,6 +461,19 @@ This section compares the Python **pyte** terminal emulator and the Go **GoPyte*
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**Action**: Track issue backlog and recent activity before committing.
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### Required Features for textual-webterm Capture
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We rely on the emulator for **accurate screenshot state**, not just live display. Required features:
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- **Stable screen buffer** with per-cell fg/bg/bold/underline/reverse.
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- **Accurate cursor position** after control sequences and resizes.
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- **Alt screen correctness** for full-screen TUIs.
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- **Consistent Unicode width** for precise SVG positioning.
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- **Dirty tracking or diffability** to avoid re-rendering unchanged screens.
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- **Reliable color mapping** (ANSI 16 + 256 + truecolor).
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If any of these are missing or inconsistent, screenshots will be wrong.
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### Known Gaps / Validation Checklist
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Before relying on GoPyte for parity, verify:
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@@ -474,6 +492,16 @@ Before relying on GoPyte for parity, verify:
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- **Color translation**: Ensure SGR parsing aligns with our ANSI palette and truecolor handling.
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- **Replay buffer**: Our replay buffer is independent, but needs to coordinate with screen state updates for consistent screenshots.
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### Alternatives (Brief)
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If GoPyte does not meet parity, consider:
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- **govte** (`github.com/cliofy/govte`): Xterm-like parser/buffer; appears more comprehensive but less documented.
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- **vito/vt100**: Lightweight VT100 emulator, limited scrollback/alt-screen support.
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- **xyproto/vt100**: Focused on TUI canvas; not a drop-in emulator.
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These alternatives would still need feature validation for capture parity.
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---
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## What We'd Gain
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