So I've started trying as many SDL2 examples/programs I can find to see what works/runs/or just refuses to do anything. The next task I gave myself was getting a local terminal running on the Link that I can use a keyboard with.

In comes EtherTerm https://github.com/M-griffin/EtherTerm

This is more of a traditional terminal emulator with some preset BBS sources but it let's you add any SSH/telnet connection.


Now I start a compile.


And here's the first hurdle (but easily enough solved) It needs libssh which doesn't come as a prebuilt library on the Link. After a quick Google I have the sources downloaded and compiled and with one little trick injected into the Steam Link rootfs.


This doesn't quite put the code in the right location but a simple copy fixes that.


Now we can compile EtherTerm


While you are here edit assets/dialdirectory.xml and add this line to the block


Now we copy everything over


And we need not forget our libssh since that doesn't exist on the Link


We can then SSH in and run the program


The LD variable is needed because we can't copy libs to the read-only root filesystem. That loads the libs from the same directory as the executable.

Here's a video of it in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw8LMEjaL6Q

So yeah runs and looks fine (albeit a bit oversized) but character input not as much. I tried ANSI and VT100 in the aforementioned config file with same result on both.