Subject: Re: [Linux-fbdev-devel] Feature Freeze?
	Date: gio, mar 06, 2003 at 09:18:07 +0800

Quoting Antonino Daplas (adaplas@pol.net):

quoted

quoted

quoted

2. console resizing using fbset (besides stty)?

Nice, if it's not too much work.

:-( I hope to improve fbcon to handle this.
 

If you're really against using fbset to resize the console, then the
first step is to protect the console from the "dangers" of fbset. 
Secondly, we can have fbcon_resize() validate the mode instead of just
blindly calling fb_set_var().  If it's not valid, then it can also fetch
a working mode for it.  The user can then fine tune the timings using
fbset afterwards.


So, do we allow fbcon to handle mode validating and fetching, or do we
just leave all this to fbdev? At least let's bring out some ideas on how
to go about doing this.  Having a working idea, even if dumb, should
interest other developers in contributing. 

I see there currently is much activity on the list. I would like to
present the point of view of a heavy framebuffer user: I write
multimedia code for artists, and I generally generate video via the
framebuffer layer, and trusted old matrox cards (from the Millennium
II to the G550). The general process is:

- open the framebuffer unit
- FBIOGET_VSCREENINFO
- change the appropriate values in fb_var_screeninfo
- FBIOPUT_VSCREENINFO
- mmap
- happily write pixels to the memory area

This, multiplied for all the video heads that I use within the same
program (up to 5 per PC, up to now, *including* the console screen -
in this case I control the machine from a network connection).

I am especially in need to change the BPP value (often using 16BPP
mode), and in a couple of occasions (the latest 2 weeks ago) I had to
feed the output of old G200's to large monitors who are only capable
of TV resolution. This means setting the framebuffer to 768x576 (PAL)
and *interlaced*. The framebuffer model that still survives in 2.4
allows me to obtain all this. 

I am not much familiar with all the terminology that is used for the
new layer. Actually, this framebuffer revolution is what keeps me from
enjoying (!) the kernel bleeding edge, as I used to do since almost 10
years ago. 

Can I poll the list's huge knowledge to find out if and how I can
obtain the same result with the new layer?

Thanks a lot in advance...

Carlo 

-- 
  *         Se la Strada e la sua Virtu' non fossero state messe da parte,
* K * Carlo E. Prelz - fluido@fluido.as             che bisogno ci sarebbe
  *               di parlare tanto di amore e di rettitudine? (Chuang-Tzu)


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