Re: [Linux-fbdev-devel] modules and text mode

[James S. <jsi...@tr...>]

> I am curious as to how a fb driver gets used by the console code.  The
> driver i am working on is initially a module, and I'm not sure how the
> console (normally text mode) will operate once that changes to a
> framebuffer mode.  are there calls that the driver must make to inform the
> console layer of the change?

If you are talking about something like going from vga mode to framebuffer
mode, that is hidden in register_framebuffer. 

> also, are there any fairly recent docs on the api that is used in 2.4 (if
> it changed any from 2.2, doesn't seem like it), and possibly the newer api
> merged into 2.5.something

No, pretty much 2.2. and 2.4.x fbdev api's are the same.  2.5.X is very
different. The basic difference is the follow of console. In 2.4.X we have
for example for resolution changes. 


Userland app 
changes mode.  -> /dev/fbX ioctl to change var -> set_var -> tells upper
i.e fbset						     console layer

For 2.5.X we have the more sane 

change mode -> /dev/ttyX ioctl TIOCSWINSZ -> change tty resolution ->
							alter hardware mode 


Such a approach makes the fbdev layer independent of the console layer.