Red Hat Patch Proposal To Split FBDEV Core Support

[sinepgib]

Being able to use *any* serial console or terminal emulator from the last 100 years is quite useful!

Is it tho? Also, having an alternative means it doesn't need to be pushed down everyone's throats, even if you keep it as an optional (read build flag) feature. It's not a simple piece of code that anyone can just trust.

[s_j_newbury]

I want kmscon to get resurrected and expanded, fbdev get killed and all legacy code get converted to the new infrastructure ASAP.

I can make a start, but I'm really bad a seeing things through and not getting distracted by another itch. At least I fixed hwaccel sitting in bed last night. :-)

I also want a wayland-like protocol for console/terminal and remove that crappy serial console stuff forever too. There are proposals about this too. I did read one, but can't remember it (please entiendo it if anyone can).

I'm not sure what this gains. The tty protocol is certainly archaic, but it is extremely compatible. Being able to use *any* serial console or terminal emulator from the last 100 years is quite useful!

I may be a radical, but I consider Linux console infrastructure to be extremely outdated and crappy.

There is certianly a lot of fragile old code in there which would be better off expunged, 'tis true...

[timofonic]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but maybe it's time KMSCON was resurrected so the whole kernel space vt emulation layer can be removed. There is working semi-maintained code on github, like here: https://github.com/AOSC-Dev/kmscon.git

I find the argument that it is redundant since a full windowing system can be used instead quite asinine. KMSCON (or equivalent) can be used in a initramfs or recovery image, without having to worry about having a full working stack. It is also substantially lighter if all you need is a tty command-line, has full i18n support, and gives back scrollback capability! There has been quite number of times I've really missed having scrollback on the linux console since it was dropped.

I want kmscon to get resurrected and expanded, fbdev get killed and all legacy code get converted to the new infrastructure ASAP.

I also want a wayland-like protocol for console/terminal and remove that crappy serial console stuff forever too. There are proposals about this too. I did read one, but can't remember it (please entiendo it if anyone can).

I may be a radical, but I consider Linux console infrastructure to be extremely outdated and crappy.

[s_j_newbury]

You guys really, really, really overemphasize "staying on topic."

It's just the Phoronix forums guys, maybe consider getting a grip and stop worrying about trivial things.

There's gonna be another Phoronix thread just like it, don't worry.


edit: Already messed up my rule. You guys really, really, really overemphasize "staying on topic".

I'm so sorry for what I've done. Let this be a lesson to all of us.

Feel like I'm off-topic...

I was just trying out KMSCON and noticed hwaccel is broken, so I've fixed it.

[khanich]

Very minor, but period goes inside the end quote when concluding a sentence. "CONFIG_FB."

Interesting, in german you would write it like Michael did.

[piorunz]

Facebook developers (hence FBDEVs shortcut of course) are hiding in 20 years old Linux source code. Rascals.

[perpetually high]

Come on, Michael is not perfect. His keyboard is not perfect. His fingers are not perfect.
Michael's been burning out for several years with very little sleep (3-6 hours) working more than full-time (14+ hours!) to get us with these news. He is doing a lot already.

Fine but all I heard was excuses.

edit: *were

[tildearrow]

^^ Agreed.

Guys, lost in all this --- "Linux" is still misspelled in the original post. "Liux." Took me a few minutes to understand what Michael was talking about which is why I commented to begin with.

Michael has been seriously slacking off lately, and this whole thread derail might be all his fault now that I think about it. Must be the whole "being a dad" thing. Have heard all the excuses before. Not interested.

Come on, Michael is not perfect. His keyboard is not perfect. His fingers are not perfect.
Michael's been burning out for several years with very little sleep (3-6 hours) working more than full-time (14+ hours!) to get us with these news. He is doing a lot already.

[perpetually high]

^^ Agreed.

Guys, lost in all this --- "Linux" is still misspelled in the original post. "Liux." Took me a few minutes to understand what Michael was talking about which is why I commented to begin with.

Michael has been seriously slacking off lately, and this whole thread derail might be all his fault now that I think about it. Must be the whole "being a dad" thing. Have heard all the excuses before. Not interested.

[sinepgib]

Very minor, but period goes inside the end quote when concluding a sentence. "CONFIG_FB."

I'm in favor of saying "fuck it" when the rule makes no sense and doing what does. For example, keeping the punctuation of the quote inside of it and the punctuation of my text outside. No need to agree, and nobody asked, but I felt like suggesting it

Probably an unpopular opinion, but maybe it's time KMSCON was resurrected so the whole kernel space vt emulation layer can be removed. There is working semi-maintained code on github, like here: https://github.com/AOSC-Dev/kmscon.git

I find the argument that it is redundant since a full windowing system can be used instead quite asinine. KMSCON (or equivalent) can be used in a initramfs or recovery image, without having to worry about having a full working stack. It is also substantially lighter if all you need is a tty command-line, has full i18n support, and gives back scrollback capability! There has been quite number of times I've really missed having scrollback on the linux console since it was dropped.

Same camp here. Not only because of initramfs and what not, but because that "fix" dictates quite a bit of policy that it has no authority over. I'd like to make a little dev laptop for myself that is console only, both because the computer I want to use is quite weak (1GB RAM, upgradeable to 2GB, and no, I don't want a newer one) and because I'm really easy to distract. A full windowing system would almost surely lead to Firefox, and Firefox to waste time browsing the web. w3m being nearly unusable for general browsing means I'll only use it to look for docs, if at all.