This bad behavior is not observed in ALT Lite 4.0.3 --
ftp://ftp.altlinux.ru/pub/distributions/ALTLinux/4.0/Desktop/4.0.3/iso/altlinux-4.0.3-lite-i586-install_ru-cd.iso
; the version there: pinfo-0.6.9-alt1, so the problem is perhaps not in pinfo, but 
in something it depends upon. In ALT Lite 4.0.3 (where it works OK) the versions are:

apt> depends pinfo
pinfo-0.6.9-alt1
  Depends: url_handler
  PreDepends: </sbin/install-info>
    info-install-4.8-alt4
  PreDepends: </bin/sh>
    sh-3.1.17-alt3
  PreDepends: </bin/sh>
    sh-3.1.17-alt3
  Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.0)>
    glibc-core-6:2.5-alt4
  Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.1)>
    glibc-core-6:2.5-alt4
  Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.3)>
    glibc-core-6:2.5-alt4
  Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.3.4)>
    glibc-core-6:2.5-alt4
  Depends: <libncurses.so.5>
    libncurses-5.6-alt3
  Depends: <libtinfo.so.5>
    libtinfo-5.6-alt3
apt> 

(In reply to comment #1)

> the problem is perhaps not in pinfo, but 
> in something it depends upon.

In the system where I noticed the problem the versions of the dependencies are:

apt> depends pinfo
pinfo-0.6.9-alt1
  Depends: url_handler
  PreDepends: </sbin/install-info>
    info-install-4.11-alt3
  PreDepends: </bin/sh>
    sh-3.2.39-alt1
  PreDepends: </bin/sh>
    sh-3.2.39-alt1
  Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.0)>
    glibc-core-6:2.5.1-alt5
  Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.1)>
    glibc-core-6:2.5.1-alt5
  Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.3)>
    glibc-core-6:2.5.1-alt5
  Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.3.4)>
    glibc-core-6:2.5.1-alt5
  Depends: <libncurses.so.5>
    libncurses-5.6-alt4
  Depends: <libtinfo.so.5>
    libtinfo-5.6-alt4
apt> 


> In ALT Lite 4.0.3 (where it works OK) the versions are:
> 
> apt> depends pinfo
> pinfo-0.6.9-alt1
>   Depends: url_handler
>   PreDepends: </sbin/install-info>
>     info-install-4.8-alt4
>   PreDepends: </bin/sh>
>     sh-3.1.17-alt3
>   PreDepends: </bin/sh>
>     sh-3.1.17-alt3
>   Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.0)>
>     glibc-core-6:2.5-alt4
>   Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.1)>
>     glibc-core-6:2.5-alt4
>   Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.3)>
>     glibc-core-6:2.5-alt4
>   Depends: <libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.3.4)>
>     glibc-core-6:2.5-alt4
>   Depends: <libncurses.so.5>
>     libncurses-5.6-alt3
>   Depends: <libtinfo.so.5>
>     libtinfo-5.6-alt3
> apt> 
> 

(In reply to comment #1)

> so the problem is perhaps not in pinfo, but 
> in something it depends upon.

The other thing that differs between the two cases is the locale.

In the "bad" case:

LANG=ru_RU.KOI8-R
LC_MESSAGES=POSIX

in the good case:

LANG=ru_RU.UTF-8

.

(In reply to comment #3)
> (In reply to comment #1)
> 
> > so the problem is perhaps not in pinfo, but 
> > in something it depends upon.
> 
> The other thing that differs between the two cases is the locale.

No, it is not the reason (the locale or old libs): this problem is also observed in a clean Desktop 4.1.1RC system in ru_RU.UTF-8: https://bugzilla.altlinux.org/show_bug.cgi?id=18409 .

> 
> In the "bad" case:
> 
> LANG=ru_RU.KOI8-R
> LC_MESSAGES=POSIX
> 
> in the good case:
> 
> LANG=ru_RU.UTF-8
> 
> .
> 

Рискну предположить, что всё это происходит в aterm?  Если да, то это его (aterm'а) неадекватная реакция на попытку использования мыши (mousemask() из libncurses).

исправление https://bugzilla.altlinux.org/show_bug.cgi?id=19732 заодно исправило и эту ошибку.

сборка добежала до сизифа, на utf8 консолях чисто, в других локалях прошу проверки.

ru_RU.KOI8-R - полёт нормальный.

значит закрываю :)