text: Geert: forwarding this to debian-sparc to see if anyone there is interested in testing. --- begin forwarded text Envelope-to: jk@espy.org Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 12:25:23 +0200 (CEST) From: Geert Uytterhoeven <Geert.Uytterhoeven@cs.kuleuven.ac.be> Reply-To: Geert Uytterhoeven <Geert.Uytterhoeven@cs.kuleuven.ac.be> To: Nathan Hurst <njh@cs.monash.edu.au> cc: Linuxppc development <linuxppc-dev@cs.wisc.edu> Subject: Re: Linux/APUS patches MIME-Version: 1.0 Sender: owner-linuxppc-dev@cs.wisc.edu Precedence: bulk On Thu, 21 May 1998, Nathan Hurst wrote: > BTW, could I ask for a progress report on fbcons? Obviously Accelerated text on ATI almost works (rectfill is OK, rectcopy is broken). There are now frame buffer devices for VGA text and VGA VESA graphics (not in the vger tree). The GGI guys are working on a scheme so they can masquerade their drivers as frame buffer devices. > /chaos/control isn't finished... :-( That's indeed a weak point... But even with the abstract console driver enabled, you should be able to use the old control driver now. For the guys that missed it (and are willing to test), this is what I checked in at vger last week: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I just checked in the abstract console backward compatibility layer. This should allow us to use the old console drivers for systems where no frame buffer devices are available yet. I tested it on my CHRP box with the PowerMac console driver for ATI graphics boards. I assume it'll work on PowerMac with other graphics boards too. Can someone please try this on SPARC and MIPS? All you need to do is: 1. Enable in your config.in CONFIG_ABSTRACT_CONSOLE=y CONFIG_ABSCON_COMPAT=y 2. Add to your old console driver (drivers/sbus/char/suncons.c etc.?) #ifdef CONFIG_ABSCON_COMPAT #include <linux/console_compat.h> #endif 3. Put somewhere in your setup_arch() #ifdef CONFIG_ABSCON_COMPAT /* Console wrapper */ conswitchp = &compat_con; #endif (this needs <linux/console.h>) and recompile. Good luck! Caveats: - Set/get font doesn't work because the old console drivers expect the font to be in user space, while console.new.c has already copied it to kernel space. - Changing the resolution on the fly (using the `vmode' command for the PowerMac console) doesn't work 100%: some parts of the console stubbornly keep on assuming the old geomerty. If this works, the abstract console driver can be used on all architectures. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unfortunately no reaction from the SPARC/MIPS --- end forwarded text -- Joel "Espy" Klecker <mailto:jk@espy.org> <> Debian GNU/Linux Developer...................<> -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-sparc-request@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org