BarnOwl has built-in support for 256-color terminals, assuming your libncursesw (and GNU Screen, if you're using it) support it. Outside of screen, your `TERM` environment variable must be set to `xterm-256color` instead of `xterm`. If you're running BarnOwl out of the locker, the `barnowl-256color` wrapper sets this for you. But to get 256 color support for all programs, put something like this in your `~/.bashrc`: {{{ case "$TERM" in xterm) TERM=xterm-256color;; esac }}} In Ubuntu before 9.04 you need to install the `ncurses-term` package. As of Debian Lenny, the stock `screen` is built with 256 color support. To enable it, first make sure your outer `TERM` is `xterm-256color` as above, and add the following to your `~/.screenrc`: {{{ # Erase background with current bg color defbce on # Advertise 256 color support to inner applications term screen-256color-bce }}} (If for some reason you do not want to set your outer `TERM` to `xterm-256color`, you can teach screen how to use 256 colors anyway by [http://frexx.de/xterm-256-notes/ adding]: `termcapinfo xterm 'Co#256:AB=\E[48;5;%dm:AF=\E[38;5;%dm'`) For older platforms, the `barnowl` locker may have a newer `screen` under the name of `screen-256color`; `/mit/barnowl/etc/screenrc` includes the aforementioned additions. In case you want to use 256-color Emacs inside screen, see [http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=2650 Emacs bug 2650].