Re: [Linux-fbdev-devel] The future of framebuffer

[Nick K. <nic...@ma...>]

Hello, Sven!
On Fri, 28 Sep 2001 08:28:50 +0200, you wrote:

> On Fri, Sep 28, 2001 at 10:20:33AM +0400, Nick Kurshev wrote:
> > > Huh, why move all the fbdev out, the only thing you need to modularize is the
> > > fonts used, not the fbdev.
> > > 
> > Because it can be compiled independedly from kernel. Because it is like mini-X.
> > IMHO kernel should have only minimal part of drivers. (finely only set of drivers which
> > should be compiled into kernel for normal working) but such thing as framebuffer, audio
> > drivers and many other things could be safety moved from kernel out and be as satellite
> > projects.
> 
> Ah, but if you remove the fbdev from the kernel, many arches have no more
> console, in particular all those laking vga hardware.
> 
> Also you loose the hability to get the penguin logo at boot time, or any other
> graphic that is, which would be a shame.
> 
These things could be handled by vesafb which can't be compiled as module.
AFAIK VBE3.0 already have standardized such things as DGA, video extensions
and even audio interface. Althrough exist cards which don't support VESA
but such cards may not support graphics modes too.
> Finally, removing many dirvers from the kernel and having them as external
> projects is only asking for problems, incompatibilities and bugs. It is not a
> nice thing to do. 
> 
There may be incompatibility but only if linux internal interface is changed
but independed projects will not depend on it. Except case when major version of
linux will changed but this situation is similar to having different drivers
for Win95 and Win2000.
In addition it will give possibility to update such drivers without updating
the kernel and vice versa.
> > > BTW, can't we generate the fonts from the ones used by vgacon ?
> > > 
> > As I've found that linux doesn't contain character images except framebuffer's font files.
> > But we can use fs/nls to convert DOS .cpi files to linux fonts. (Since on russian system
> > DOS uses 866 codepage but Linux koi8-r). But in this case linux package will large of
> > X package :( But IMHO it would be better th hove possibility to use dos.cpi files directly
> > from Linux with iconv functionallity.
> 
> Err, not sure i follow you here, but were are the dos.cpi info stored, in the
> vga card rom ? on the vfat filesystem ? in the bios ?
> 
On vfat. But IMHO each computer had preinstalled DOS as they have preinstalled Win9x now.
Anyway exist FreeDOS and other similar systems where such files could be taken.
> Friendly,
> 
> Sven Luther
> 


Best regards! Nick