From: Jon M. Taylor <taylorj@ecs.csus.edu>
  To  : ggi-develop@eskimo.com
  Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 12:45:18 -0700 (PDT)

Re: I've seen the stars too... [Re: kgicon, etc]

On Wed, 29 Jul 1998, Steffen Seeger wrote:

>  
> > On Wed, 29 Jul 1998, Rodolphe Ortalo wrote:
> > 
> > > >IIRC it's a known problem (since the kernel's driver will already have
> > > >claimed the vga space).  The #if 0 is alright in the short term, I'm not
> > > >sure what exactly should be done in the long term...
> 
> Write a proper console driver that doesn't claim these ports.
> The situation is just the following: you have a in-kernel driver 
> claiming resources for a device it serves in a kind of compatibility mode.
> Later, a user-process starts and fiddles with the same device. If it
> is polite, it even tells the kernel what it did (VT_RESIZE is the ioctl
> IIRC). 
> 
> You know, my opinion about the console code can't be printed, can not 
> even be said in front of an audience. To say the least, it's a mess.

	Yes, it is clearly inferior to KGI/GGI console, but it is what we 
have to work with until that day comes when GGI console is accepted.  I 
would rather have KGI driverd working in the kernel to some degree than 
not working at all.

> The KGI i386 boot display driver code doesn't use more than
> a plain frame buffer. And it is shut up when a real driver loads.
> That's why I am skeptical about the kgicon approach, but hey,
> I am willing to learn.

	It is just another option.  When Degas/KGI and kgicon get merged, 
there will be a config option to select GGI console support or fbcon 
support (or roadrunner support, or FreeBSD kernel support, or...).

	But this brings up another question for you, Steffen:  where do 
you stand on the GGI console/KGI/KII spit issues?  Shouldn't the console 
subsystem go into GGI Console (EvStack), not KGI?  Just want to make sure 
we are all working on the same wavelength here....

Jon 

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