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Date:      Thu, 23 Oct 2014 03:54:13 +0200
From:      Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de>
To:        Lars Eighner <luvbeastie@larseighner.com>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Keep using syscons -- how?
Message-ID:  <20141023035413.e5335aeb.freebsd@edvax.de>
In-Reply-To: <alpine.BSF.2.11.1410221805320.94748@abbf.ynefrvtuareubzr.pbz>
References:  <alpine.BSF.2.11.1410220417480.92223@abbf.ynefrvtuareubzr.pbz> <20141022072744.9a7574eb.freebsd@edvax.de> <alpine.BSF.2.11.1410220720480.92707@abbf.ynefrvtuareubzr.pbz> <alpine.BSF.2.11.1410220920430.56146@wonkity.com> <alpine.BSF.2.11.1410221805320.94748@abbf.ynefrvtuareubzr.pbz>

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On Wed, 22 Oct 2014 18:12:50 -0500 (CDT), Lars Eighner wrote:
> On Wed, 22 Oct 2014, Warren Block wrote:
> 
> > On Wed, 22 Oct 2014, Lars Eighner wrote:
> >
> >> On Wed, 22 Oct 2014, Polytropon wrote:
> >> 
> >>> On Wed, 22 Oct 2014 04:25:12 -0500 (CDT), Lars Eighner wrote:
> >>>> What do I have to do or not do to keep being able to use syscons in VGA
> >>>> mode? Is there any way to keep the ability to switch between xwindows and
> >>>> syscons (in VGA i.e. text mode)?
> >>> 
> >>> Allow me a more general question. I'm not asking as
> >>> a "means of insult", but because I'm really interested
> >>> in the answer:
> >>> 
> >>> Why not use terminal emulators (xterm, rxvt, konsole,
> >>> gnome-terminal etc.) inside an X session?
> >> 
> >> Because raster fonts are illegible compared to vga fonts,
> >
> > The text-mode fonts are raster fonts, too.
> 
> I don't understand this. There are raster text modes, but 80x24 VGA has
> never been called "raster" that I know of.

This is just a "terminology issue": The fonts displayed in
the 80x25 (I think it's really 25 lines, not 24) are stored
in the graphics card, whereas the VGA-based console uses fonts
supplied and graphics generated by the OS, which are of course
a raster representation. The graphics card can also generate
characters for alternate fonts, but as far as I understand,
those fonts are "stored" in the card and only selected by the
OS, so you can't display characters that the card does not
have in its memory - of course it stores its characters in
a raster format as well.

I hope I didn't say something stupid. ;-)



> >> Text mode is robust.  That is really the bottom line.
> >
> > Use vt(4) in text mode:
> 
> Yes, just like Linux.  What I am asking is where do I have to freeze to
> avoid this? At what point is cons25l1 and xwindows to vtty switching still
> available?

I think FreeBSD 9 will do, whereas FreeBSD 10.1 will probably
have the new environment by default...



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...



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