From: Emmanuel Marty <core@suntech.fr>
  To  : ggi-develop@eskimo.com
  Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 05:51:20 +0000

Re: kgicon, etc

Hi Alex,

>  Ok, i did a new try in my ongoing quest to have a working kgicon. Using
> 2.1.113 with vgacon+vesafb configured first and then vgafb+vesafb i managed to
> get a black screen and complete hangup when insmod'ing kgicon.o
> (monosync(svga)+mystique).
>
> Any takers?
>

I have the very same result here (we are the two mystique users, y'know :).
Matthias ... ? :-)

> Also can someone explain to me nice and easily what VGACON and VGAFB are and
> what their differences are. And also why kgicon needs VGAFB and why VGAFB is
> called decapricated and to be removed 'soon' on linux-kernel.

vgacon is a console 'switch' for the abstract consoles scheme. ie. the abstract
console
does the vt100 implementation, and vgacon renders to the vga hardware (previously

they were in the same file). fbcon is at the same level - it is also a switch.
except
that fbcon doesn't render itself, it calls framebuffer devices. that's what vgafb
is,
a framebuffer device that renders to the vga hardware - that's an extra layer,
console->fbcon->vgafb compared to console->vgacon, but it allows for replacing
"vgafb" by other framebuffer drivers, like vesafb.

--
Emmanuel