Skip to content

minicom

Full-screen serial communication program, the one everyone already knows

What it does

A full-screen terminal program for serial ports, with menu-driven configuration, capture-to-file and modem dialling that nobody uses any more.

Why you would want it

It is carried because it is what existing documentation assumes. When an upstream project's instructions say 'open minicom at 115200 8N1', having it present means those instructions work verbatim rather than needing translation.

Before it will work

Membership of the dialout group.

How it installs

  • apt: minicom

Known problems

Its exit key sequence (Ctrl-A then X) surprises people, and it will happily start with a saved configuration that does not match the device in front of you. tio is the better default; minicom is here for compatibility with instructions written elsewhere.

Keeping it current

  • probe: apt policy
  • strategy: apt_upgrade

Source: catalog/packages/minicom.yaml