Compare›GNU Screen vs WezTerm

GNU Screen vs WezTerm

Side-by-side terminal feature comparison

Summary

GNU Screen

68%

171/251 passed

vs

WezTerm

61%

142/233 passed

48 partial

167 features differ between these terminals

Feature Comparison

Character Sets

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
DEC line drawing character set	✗	✓
DEC Special Graphics	✗	✓
G0/G1 character set switching	✗	✓
UTF-8 mode	✗	✓

Cursor

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
ANSI restore cursor (CSI u)	✗	✓
ANSI save cursor (CSI s)	✗	✓
CPL cursor preceding line (CSI F)	✗	✓
CUD stops at bottom	✗	✓
CUP at screen boundaries	✓	✗
CUP with DECOM	✗	✓
CUU stops at top	✓	✓
Hide cursor (DECTCEM)	✓	✓
Cursor horizontal absolute (CHA)	✗	✓
HPA horizontal position absolute (CSI `)	✗	✓
Cursor position (CUP)	✗	✓
Cursor back (CUB)	✓	✓
Cursor down (CUD)	✗	✓
Cursor forward (CUF)	✗	✓
Cursor home	✗	✓
Cursor up (CUU)	✗	✓
Cursor next line (CNL)	✗	✓
Cursor position report (DSR 6)	✗	~
Reverse Wrap (Mode 45)	✓	✓
Save/restore cursor (DECSC)	✗	✓
Cursor shape (DECSCUSR)	✓	✓
VPA vertical position absolute (CSI d)	✗	✓

Device Status

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
Mode Report (DECRPM)	✗	~
Request Setting (DECRQSS)	✓	~
DSR ?996 — color scheme query	?	?
COLORTERM env variable	?	?
KITTY_* env variables	?	?
LC_TERMINAL env variable	?	?
NO_COLOR env variable	?	?
TERM env variable	?	?
TERM_PROGRAM env variable	?	?
VTE_VERSION env variable	?	?
WEZTERM_* env variables	?	?
WT_SESSION env variable	?	?
Primary device attributes (DA1)	✓	~
Secondary Device Attributes (DA2)	✓	~
Device status report (DSR 5)	✓	~
Feature Reporting (TERM_FEATURES)	✓	?
Tertiary Device Attributes (DA3)	✓	~
Query Terminfo (XTGETTCAP)	✗	~
XTGETXRES — query resource value (DCS + Q)	?	✗
XTREPORTCOLORS — report color capabilities (CSI # R)	?	✗
Terminal Version (XTVERSION)	✗	~
Report window size in pixels (CSI 14 t)	✓	~
Report cell size in pixels (CSI 16 t)	✗	~
Report text area size in chars (CSI 18 t)	✓	~
Report icon label (CSI 20 t)	✓	~
Report window title (CSI 21 t)	✗	~
Push title/icon stack (CSI 22 ; 0 t)	✓	~
Pop title/icon stack (CSI 23 ; 0 t)	✓	~

Editing

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
DECCARA — change attrs in rectangle	✓	✗
DECCRA — copy rectangular area	✓	✗
DECDC — delete columns (CSI Ps ' ~)	✓	✗
DECERA — erase rectangular area	✓	✗
DECFRA — fill rectangular area	✓	✗
DECIC — insert columns (CSI Ps ' })	✓	✗
DECRARA — reverse attrs in rectangle	✓	✗
DECRQCRA — checksum rectangular area	✓	✗
DECSACE — select attribute-change extent	✓	✓
DECSERA — selective erase rectangular area	✓	✗
Delete characters (DCH)	✗	✓
Delete lines (DL)	✗	✓
Insert characters (ICH)	✓	✓
Insert lines (IL)	✗	✓
Repeat character (REP)	✗	✓
SL — shift left (CSI Ps SP @)	✓	✗
SR — shift right (CSI Ps SP A)	✓	✗

Erase

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
Erase character (ECH)	✗	✓
ED at scroll region boundary	✓	✓
EL erases with bg color	✓	✗
Erase line (EL 2)	✗	✓
Erase to BOL (EL 1)	✗	✓
Erase to EOL (EL 0)	✗	✓
Erase above (ED 1)	✗	✓
Erase screen (ED 2)	✗	✓
Erase below (ED 0)	✗	✓
Erase scrollback (ED 3)	✗	✓
Selective Erase (DECSED)	✓	✗

Extensions

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
System clipboard paste	?	?
Font ligatures	?	?
iTerm2 Inline Images (OSC 1337)	✓	✗
Kitty graphics protocol	✓	✗
Kitty graphics: animation	✓	✗
Kitty graphics: display	✓	✗
Kitty graphics: transmit	✓	✗
Kitty graphics: Unicode placeholders	✗	✗
Kitty keyboard protocol	✓	✓
Kitty keyboard: DISAMBIGUATE (flag 1)	✓	✓
Kitty keyboard: REPORT_ALL_KEYS (flag 8)	✗	✓
Kitty keyboard: REPORT_ALTERNATE (flag 4)	✗	✓
Kitty keyboard: REPORT_EVENTS (flag 2)	✗	✓
Kitty keyboard: REPORT_TEXT (flag 16)	✗	✓
Desktop Notifications (OSC 9/777)	✓	~
VS Code Shell Integration (OSC 633)	✓	✓
Icon and title (OSC 0)	✓	✓
Icon name (OSC 1)	✓	✓
Foreground color query (OSC 10)	✓	~
Reset color palette (OSC 104)	✓	✗
Background color query (OSC 11)	✗	~
Reset foreground color (OSC 110)	✓	✗
Reset background color (OSC 111)	✓	✗
Reset cursor color (OSC 112)	✓	✗
Reset pointer fg color (OSC 113)	✓	?
Reset pointer bg color (OSC 114)	✓	?
Reset highlight background (OSC 117)	✓	✓
Reset highlight foreground (OSC 119)	✓	✓
Cursor color (OSC 12)	✗	✗
OSC 133;A prompt start (FTCS_PROMPT)	✗	✓
OSC 133;B command start (FTCS_COMMAND_START)	✗	✓
OSC 133;C command executed (FTCS_COMMAND_EXECUTED)	✓	✓
OSC 133;D command finished (FTCS_COMMAND_FINISHED)	✓	✓
OSC 133;P properties	✓	✓
iTerm2 Capability Reporting (OSC 1337)	✗	✗
iTerm2 Cell Size Reporting (OSC 1337)	✗	✗
Highlight background (OSC 17)	✓	✗
Set Wayland app-id (OSC 176)	✓	?
Highlight foreground (OSC 19)	✓	✗
Window title (OSC 2)	✓	✗
Kitty color protocol (OSC 21)	✓	✗
Pointer shape (OSC 22)	✓	?
Kitty color stack push (OSC 30001)	✓	?
Systemd context (OSC 3008)	✓	?
Kitty color stack pop (OSC 30101)	✓	?
Color palette (OSC 4)	✓	✗
Audio sound (OSC 440)	✓	?
Special color (OSC 5)	✗	✗
Clipboard access (OSC 52)	✓	~
OSC 52 clipboard read	✓	~
OSC 52 clipboard write	✓	✓
OSC 5522 advanced clipboard	✗	✗
Screen flash (OSC 555)	✓	?
OSC 633;A prompt start	✓	✓
OSC 633;B prompt end	✓	✓
OSC 633;C pre-execution	✓	✓
OSC 633;D command finished	✓	✓
OSC 633;E set commandline	✓	✓
OSC 633;P properties	✓	✓
OSC 66 text sizing	✓	✗
VTE termprop (OSC 666)	✓	?
Current directory (OSC 7)	✓	~
Locale query/set (OSC 701)	✓	?
Version query (OSC 702)	✓	?
Set normal font (OSC 710)	✓	?
Scroll view up (OSC 720)	✓	?
Cell size report (OSC 776)	✓	?
Notifications (OSC 777)	✓	?
Font size query/set (OSC 7770)	✓	?
Font + window size (OSC 7777)	✓	?
Hyperlinks (OSC 8)	✗	✓
OSC 9;4 progress bar	✓	?
Desktop notifications (OSC 99)	✓	?
Text reflow on resize	✓	✓
Semantic prompts (OSC 133)	✓	✓
Sixel graphics	✗	✓
Sixel support in DA1	✓	~
Sixel geometry report (CSI ? Pi;Pa;Pv S)	?	✗
24-bit truecolor	✗	✓

Input Protocols

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
Button-Event Mouse (1002)	✓	✓
CSI u Key Encoding	✓	✓
Kitty click events	?	?
modifyOtherKeys	✓	~
modifyOtherKeys mode 3	✓	~
Pixel Mouse Reporting (1016)	✓	~
urxvt Mouse Reporting (1015)	✓	✗
X10 Mouse Tracking (9)	✓	✗

Modes

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
Enter alt screen (DECSET 1049)	✓	✓
Exit alt screen (DECRST 1049)	✓	✓
Alt-scroll mouse wheel (?1007)	✓	✓
Alt screen clear-on-enter (?1047)	✓	✓
Save/restore cursor (?1048)	✓	✓
Alt screen legacy (?47)	✓	✓
App cursor keys (DECCKM)	✓	✓
Application keypad (DECKPAM)	✓	~
Auto-wrap (DECAWM)	✓	✓
Bracketed paste (DECSET 2004)	✓	✓
Mode 2031 color scheme reporting	✓	~
DECCOLM 80/132 column switch (?3)	✓	✓
DECSCLM — smooth scroll mode	?	?
DECSSCLS — set scroll speed	?	?
Focus tracking (DECSET 1004)	✓	✓
Insert/replace mode (IRM)	✓	✓
Left/Right Margins (DECLRMM, Mode 69)	✓	~
All motion mouse (DECSET 1003)	✓	✓
SGR mouse mode (DECSET 1006)	✓	~
Mouse tracking (DECSET 1000)	✓	✓
Origin mode (DECOM)	✓	✓
Reverse video (DECSCNM)	✓	✓
Synchronized output (DECSET 2026)	✓	✓
UTF-8 mouse mode (?1005)	✓	✓
Pop color palette (CSI # Q)	✓	~
XTPOPSGR — pop SGR stack (CSI # })	✓	~
Push color palette (CSI # P)	✓	~
XTPUSHSGR — push SGR stack (CSI # {)	✓	~
XTRESTORE — restore DEC private modes (CSI ? Pm r)	✓	~
XTSAVE — save DEC private modes (CSI ? Pm s)	✓	~

Reset

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
DECALN screen alignment (ESC # 8)	✓	✓
Backend reset() method	✓	✓
Full reset (RIS)	✓	✓
SGR reset clears attributes	✗	✓
Soft reset (DECSTR)	✓	~

Scrollback

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
Scrollback accumulates	✓	✓
Alt screen separate scrollback	✓	✓
DECSTBM constrains scrolling	✓	✓
DECSTBM reset to full screen	✗	✓
Reverse index (RI)	✗	✓
Scroll down (SD)	✓	✓
Scroll up (SU)	✗	✓
Scroll region (DECSTBM)	✓	✓
Total line count	✓	✓

SGR (Text Styling)

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
256-color bg (SGR 48;5)	✓	~
Bright bg colors (SGR 100-107)	✓	~
Default bg color (SGR 49)	✓	✓
Standard bg colors (SGR 40-47)	✓	~
24-bit bg (SGR 48;2)	✓	✓
Blink (SGR 5)	✓	~
Bold (SGR 1)	✓	✓
Faint/dim (SGR 2)	✓	✓
256-color fg (SGR 38;5)	✓	~
Bright fg colors (SGR 90-97)	✓	~
Default fg color (SGR 39)	✓	✓
Standard fg colors (SGR 30-37)	✓	~
24-bit fg (SGR 38;2)	✓	✓
Hidden/invisible (SGR 8)	✓	~
Inverse video (SGR 7)	✓	✓
Italic (SGR 3)	✓	✓
Overline (SGR 53)	✓	✓
Reset all (SGR 0)	✓	✓
Reset bold/dim (SGR 22)	✓	✓
Reset inverse (SGR 27)	✓	✓
Reset italic (SGR 23)	✓	✓
Reset underline (SGR 24)	✓	✓
Strikethrough (SGR 9)	✓	✓
Underline color, indexed (SGR 58;5)	✓	~
Reset underline color (SGR 59)	✓	✓
Underline color, truecolor (SGR 58;2)	✓	~
Underline color (SGR 58)	✓	~
Curly underline (SGR 4:3)	✓	✓
Dashed underline (SGR 4:5)	✓	✓
Dotted underline (SGR 4:4)	✓	✓
Double underline (SGR 21)	✓	✓
Underline (SGR 4)	✓	✓

Text

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
Backspace (BS)	✗	✓
Basic text rendering	✗	✓
CBT backward tab (CSI Z)	✗	✓
CHT forward tab (CSI I)	✗	✓
Combining characters (0 cols)	✓	✓
Carriage return	✗	✓
HTS set tab stop (ESC H)	✗	✓
Index (IND)	✗	✓
Line feed	✗	✓
Next line (NEL)	✗	✓
Overwrite at cursor	✗	✓
Reverse Index at Scroll Top	✗	✓
Tab stops	✗	✓
TBC clear tab stop (CSI g)	✗	✗
CJK wide chars (2 cols)	✗	✓
Emoji wide chars (2 cols)	✗	✓
Regional indicator flags (2 cols)	✗	✓
Variation selector 16 (emoji presentation)	✗	✗
Emoji ZWJ sequences (2 cols)	✗	✓
Text wraps at width	✗	✓

Unicode

Feature	GNU Screen	WezTerm
East Asian Ambiguous Width	✗	✓
Grapheme Cluster Cursor Movement	✗	✓
Tab Stops (HT)	✗	✓
Wide Char at Line Wrap	✗	✗

Only in GNU Screen

52 features supported by GNU Screen but not WezTerm:

• CUP at screen boundariesCursor
• Feature Reporting (TERM_FEATURES)Device Status
• DECCARA — change attrs in rectangleEditing
• DECCRA — copy rectangular areaEditing
• DECDC — delete columns (CSI Ps ' ~)Editing
• DECERA — erase rectangular areaEditing
• DECFRA — fill rectangular areaEditing
• DECIC — insert columns (CSI Ps ' })Editing
• DECRARA — reverse attrs in rectangleEditing
• DECRQCRA — checksum rectangular areaEditing
• DECSERA — selective erase rectangular areaEditing
• SL — shift left (CSI Ps SP @)Editing
• SR — shift right (CSI Ps SP A)Editing
• EL erases with bg colorErase
• Selective Erase (DECSED)Erase
• iTerm2 Inline Images (OSC 1337)Extensions
• Kitty graphics protocolExtensions
• Kitty graphics: animationExtensions
• Kitty graphics: displayExtensions
• Kitty graphics: transmitExtensions
• Reset color palette (OSC 104)Extensions
• Reset foreground color (OSC 110)Extensions
• Reset background color (OSC 111)Extensions
• Reset cursor color (OSC 112)Extensions
• Reset pointer fg color (OSC 113)Extensions
• Reset pointer bg color (OSC 114)Extensions
• Highlight background (OSC 17)Extensions
• Set Wayland app-id (OSC 176)Extensions
• Highlight foreground (OSC 19)Extensions
• Window title (OSC 2)Extensions
• Kitty color protocol (OSC 21)Extensions
• Pointer shape (OSC 22)Extensions
• Kitty color stack push (OSC 30001)Extensions
• Systemd context (OSC 3008)Extensions
• Kitty color stack pop (OSC 30101)Extensions
• Color palette (OSC 4)Extensions
• Audio sound (OSC 440)Extensions
• Screen flash (OSC 555)Extensions
• OSC 66 text sizingExtensions
• VTE termprop (OSC 666)Extensions
• Locale query/set (OSC 701)Extensions
• Version query (OSC 702)Extensions
• Set normal font (OSC 710)Extensions
• Scroll view up (OSC 720)Extensions
• Cell size report (OSC 776)Extensions
• Notifications (OSC 777)Extensions
• Font size query/set (OSC 7770)Extensions
• Font + window size (OSC 7777)Extensions
• OSC 9;4 progress barExtensions
• Desktop notifications (OSC 99)Extensions
• urxvt Mouse Reporting (1015)Input Protocols
• X10 Mouse Tracking (9)Input Protocols

Only in WezTerm

71 features supported by WezTerm but not GNU Screen:

• DEC line drawing character setCharacter Sets
• DEC Special GraphicsCharacter Sets
• G0/G1 character set switchingCharacter Sets
• UTF-8 modeCharacter Sets
• ANSI restore cursor (CSI u)Cursor
• ANSI save cursor (CSI s)Cursor
• CPL cursor preceding line (CSI F)Cursor
• CUD stops at bottomCursor
• CUP with DECOMCursor
• Cursor horizontal absolute (CHA)Cursor
• HPA horizontal position absolute (CSI `)Cursor
• Cursor position (CUP)Cursor
• Cursor down (CUD)Cursor
• Cursor forward (CUF)Cursor
• Cursor homeCursor
• Cursor up (CUU)Cursor
• Cursor next line (CNL)Cursor
• Cursor position report (DSR 6)Cursor
• Save/restore cursor (DECSC)Cursor
• VPA vertical position absolute (CSI d)Cursor
• Mode Report (DECRPM)Device Status
• Query Terminfo (XTGETTCAP)Device Status
• Terminal Version (XTVERSION)Device Status
• Report cell size in pixels (CSI 16 t)Device Status
• Report window title (CSI 21 t)Device Status
• Delete characters (DCH)Editing
• Delete lines (DL)Editing
• Insert lines (IL)Editing
• Repeat character (REP)Editing
• Erase character (ECH)Erase
• Erase line (EL 2)Erase
• Erase to BOL (EL 1)Erase
• Erase to EOL (EL 0)Erase
• Erase above (ED 1)Erase
• Erase screen (ED 2)Erase
• Erase below (ED 0)Erase
• Erase scrollback (ED 3)Erase
• Kitty keyboard: REPORT_ALL_KEYS (flag 8)Extensions
• Kitty keyboard: REPORT_ALTERNATE (flag 4)Extensions
• Kitty keyboard: REPORT_EVENTS (flag 2)Extensions
• Kitty keyboard: REPORT_TEXT (flag 16)Extensions
• Background color query (OSC 11)Extensions
• OSC 133;A prompt start (FTCS_PROMPT)Extensions
• OSC 133;B command start (FTCS_COMMAND_START)Extensions
• Hyperlinks (OSC 8)Extensions
• Sixel graphicsExtensions
• 24-bit truecolorExtensions
• SGR reset clears attributesReset
• DECSTBM reset to full screenScrollback
• Reverse index (RI)Scrollback
• Scroll up (SU)Scrollback
• Backspace (BS)Text
• Basic text renderingText
• CBT backward tab (CSI Z)Text
• CHT forward tab (CSI I)Text
• Carriage returnText
• HTS set tab stop (ESC H)Text
• Index (IND)Text
• Line feedText
• Next line (NEL)Text
• Overwrite at cursorText
• Reverse Index at Scroll TopText
• Tab stopsText
• CJK wide chars (2 cols)Text
• Emoji wide chars (2 cols)Text
• Regional indicator flags (2 cols)Text
• Emoji ZWJ sequences (2 cols)Text
• Text wraps at widthText
• East Asian Ambiguous WidthUnicode
• Grapheme Cluster Cursor MovementUnicode
• Tab Stops (HT)Unicode

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