Re: [PATCH] lib: remove FBCON dependency for fonts

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 11:58 AM, David Herrmann [off-list ref] wrote:

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 11:54 AM, Geert Uytterhoeven
[off-list ref] wrote:

quoted

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 11:47 AM, David Herrmann [off-list ref] wrote:

quoted

quoted

Without the "depends on FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE", people who don't
have FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE set, but have set any of these:

config EARLY_PRINTK_EFI
    select FONT_SUPPORT

config VIDEO_VIVI
    select FONT_SUPPORT
    select FONT_8x16

config SOLO6X10
    select FONT_SUPPORT
    select FONT_8x16

config USB_SISUSBVGA
    select FONT_SUPPORT
    ...
    select FONT_8x16

config SGI_NEWPORT_CONSOLE
    select FONT_SUPPORT

config STI_CONSOLE
    select FONT_SUPPORT

will now get more (unused) fonts in their kernel image.

Why would they get more unused fonts? All those fonts are "default n"
(except for some arch-specific stuff and 8x8 and obviously 8x16). I

So they get the 8x8 and the arch-specific ones by default (FONTS=n).

They also get it if they enable FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE (which most people
do, right?). I don't understand why we want multiple fonts compiled-in

I was more thinking of the CONFIG_FB=n case.

at all, but ok, that's not up to me.

Frame buffer users may do so.

quoted

quoted

don't mind if we drop this, but it makes font-selection impossible if
fbcon is disabled, which is kinda unexpected.

IIRC, drivers that "select FONT_8x16" have the font name hardcoded in
the driver, so allowing to select more fonts doesn't gain anything for them.

I don't. I use get_default_font() in the new drm_log.c patches.

Good ;-)

Anyhow, I'm fine with 8x16, I just thought people might want to select
other fonts. But I guess it's up to them to deal with that, as long as
I use get_default_font() I guess I don't care.

If you want to allow people to select more fonts, you can drop the "depends on
FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE" for "config FONTS", and move the dependency
for the individual fonts into the "default y if" clause, right?

E.g.

 config FONT_6x11
        bool "Mac console 6x11 font (not supported by all drivers)" if FONTS
        default y if !SPARC && !FONTS && MAC && FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE
        help


(one more cleanup: several of the "!SPARC" can be removed, as they're
 implied by e.g. "MAC" and "ARM").

Gr{oetje,eeting}s,

                        Geert

--
Geert Uytterhoeven -- There's lots of Linux beyond ia32 -- geert@linux-m68k.org

In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But
when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that.
                                -- Linus Torvalds