Logging With Screen

[Charles A. Templeton III]

Why does screen logs look the way they do? For example, when I am in
in the terminal I see this:

>computer:~ user$ sudo port selfupdate
>
>MacPorts base version 1.700 installed
>Downloaded MacPorts base version 1.700
>
>The MacPorts installation is not outdated so it was not updated
>computer:~ user$

But when I look in the log file it writes a new line to the log file
for every character change and some more (escaped characters written
to the terminal perhaps?). Basically, it tell me exactly how I got
there.

>-- 1:bash -- time-stamp -- Feb/15/09 12:57:26 --
>
>computer:~ user$ s
>computer:~ user$ s
>computer:~ user$ su
>computer:~ user$ su
>computer:~ user$ sud
>computer:~ user$ sud
>...
Removed a whole bunch of stuff that that follows the same pattern.
(Triple dot will indicate the same thing during the rest of this
message.)
>...
>computer:~ user$ sudo port insta
>computer:~ user$ sudo port insta
>computer:~ user$ sudo port instal
>computer:~ user$ sudo port instal
>computer:~ user$ sudo port install
>computer:~ user$ sudo port install

At this point i just started <-- to insert a flag. My screen still
showed the full "sudo port install" but the log file only shows what
is the the left of my curser. But no duplicate lines.

>computer:~ user$ sudo port instal
>computer:~ user$ sudo port insta
>computer:~ user$ sudo port inst
>computer:~ user$ sudo port ins
>computer:~ user$ sudo port in
>computer:~ user$ sudo port i
>computer:~ user$ sudo port
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -install

I started inserting here. I do not know why the text to the right of
the line shows up sometimes and not other times. It is always visible
on my screen.

>computer:~ user$ sudo port -
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -vinstall
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v install
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v i
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v in
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v ins
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v inst
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v insta
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v instal
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v install
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v instal
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v instal
>computer:~ user$ sudo port -v insta
>...
>...
>computer:~ user$ sudo port 
>computer:~ user$ sudo port
>computer:~ user$ sudo port s
>...
>...
>computer:~ user$ sudo port selfupdate
>
MacPorts base version 1.700 installed
Downloaded MacPorts base version 1.700
>
>The MacPorts installation is not outdated so it was not updated
>
>
>sarah:~ ctemp3$
>sarah:~ ctemp3$

I know this has to do with the way the terminal and the shell speak
back and forth to each other. I can think of many many benefits to
logging this way, but for my day to day activities I do not need that
much data/accuracy. How can I get it where my log file actually looks
like the terminal without lots of hand editing?

Thanks,
-- 
- Charles A. Templeton III