If a Linux distribution is RPM based, the package name is libncurses-dev and if it is Debian based, it is ncurses-devel. Here are some examples:

# cat /etc/os-release | grep "PRETTY_NAME"
PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 9 (stretch)"
# apt-cache search libncurses-dev
libncurses5-dev - developer's libraries for ncurses

# cat /etc/os-release | grep "PRETTY_NAME"
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS"
# apt-cache search libncurses-dev
libncurses5-dev - developer's libraries for ncurses


# cat /etc/os-release | grep "PRETTY_NAME"
PRETTY_NAME="CentOS Linux 7 (Core)"
# yum search ncurses-devel 
====================================================================== N/S matched: ncurses-devel =======================================================================
ncurses-devel.i686 : Development files for the ncurses library
ncurses-devel.x86_64 : Development files for the ncurses library

# cat /etc/os-release | grep "PRETTY_NAME"
PRETTY_NAME="Fedora 27 (Twenty Seven)"
# yum search ncurses-devel
Last metadata expiration check: 0:05:07 ago on Wed Feb 28 19:20:24 2018.
================================================================== Name Exactly Matched: ncurses-devel ==================================================================
ncurses-devel.i686 : Development files for the ncurses library
ncurses-devel.x86_64 : Development files for the ncurses library


I have tried RPM based and Debian based linux distros as they are extensively used and widely distributed. For other (independent) Linux distributions, it is possible they have their own names for the ncurses development package. 

Thanks,

- Arvind.

On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 1:59 PM, Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@infradead.org> wrote:
On 02/28/2018 09:39 AM, Arvind Prasanna wrote:
> Hi Randy:
>
> On 02/27/2018 10:59 PM, Arvind Prasanna wrote:
>> The package name is ncurses-devel for Redhat based distros
>> and libncurses-devel for Debian based distros.
>
> The above lines are part of the commit message and the patch says to install either ncurses-devel or libncurses-dev based on the user's Linux distribution. Would you prefer I add my commit message lines to the patch as well?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Arvind.
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 12:31 PM, Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@infradead.org <mailto:rdunlap@infradead.org>> wrote:
>
>     On 02/27/2018 10:59 PM, Arvind Prasanna wrote:
>     > The package name is ncurses-devel for Redhat based distros
>     > and libncurses-devel for Debian based distros.
>
>           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That's not what the patch says. Please clarify.

For Debian-based distros, is it libncurses-devel (above) or is it
libncurses-dev (as below)?  [latter is without the ending "el"]


And what about the other few hundred distros?  (rhetorical)


>     >
>     > Signed-off-by: Arvind Prasanna <arvindprasanna@gmail.com <mailto:arvindprasanna@gmail.com>>
>     > ---
>     >  scripts/kconfig/lxdialog/check-lxdialog.sh | 3 ++-
>     >  1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
>     >
>     > diff --git a/scripts/kconfig/lxdialog/check-lxdialog.sh b/scripts/kconfig/lxdialog/check-lxdialog.sh
>     > index a10bd9d..4353e40 100755
>     > --- a/scripts/kconfig/lxdialog/check-lxdialog.sh
>     > +++ b/scripts/kconfig/lxdialog/check-lxdialog.sh
>     > @@ -55,7 +55,8 @@ EOF
>     >           echo " *** required header files."                            1>&2
>     >           echo " *** 'make menuconfig' requires the ncurses libraries." 1>&2
>     >           echo " *** "                                                  1>&2
>     > -         echo " *** Install ncurses (ncurses-devel) and try again."    1>&2
>     > +         echo " *** Install ncurses (ncurses-devel or libncurses-dev   1>&2
>     > +                *** depending on your distribution) and try again."    1>&2
>     >           echo " *** "                                                  1>&2
>     >           exit 1
>     >       fi


--
~Randy