Terminal.app vs. xterm
| Feature | Terminal.app | xterm |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Tagline | An app for advanced users and developers with direct CLI communication to macOS. | A terminal emulator for the X Window System. |
| Website | https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/terminal/welcome/mac | https://invisible-island.net/xterm/ |
| Language | objective-c | c |
| Date Created | September 18, 1990 | January 1, 1984 |
| Platform | macos | macos linux bsd |
| File Size | ~7.0 MB | ~1.0 MB |
| Image / Terminal Graphics Protocol Support | No | Yes |
| Sixel Support | No | Yes |
| GPU Acceleration | Yes | No |
| True Color (24-bit) | Yes | Yes |
| Font Ligatures | No | No |
| Tabs | Yes | No |
| Split Panes | Yes | No |
| OSC 52 Clipboard | No | Yes |
| OSC 8 Hyperlinks | No | No |
| Unicode Support | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications | Yes | No |
| Kitty Graphics Protocol | No | No |
| iTerm2 Inline Images | No | No |
| 3D Mode | No | No |
| Inline 3D Support | No | No |
| Ratty Graphics Protocol | No | No |
| Glyph Protocol | No | No |
| Kitty Keyboard Protocol | No | No |
| Synchronized Output | No | No |
| Styled Underlines | No | No |
| Shell Integration | No | No |
| Drop-down Mode | No | No |
| Built-in Multiplexer | No | No |
| Config Format | gui/plist | xresources |
| Source Code Availability | Proprietary Software | Open Source (MIT) |
| Source Code | https://invisible-mirror.net/archives/xterm/ | |
| Development State | active | active |
Compare With Other Terminals
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