Linux 5.9 Dropping Soft Scrollback Support From FB + VGA Console Code

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux 5.9 Dropping Soft Scrollback Support From FB + VGA Console Code

Linus Torvalds has decided to do away with the "soft scrollback" functionality found in the FBCON and VGACON kernel code as a sign of the times...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-5.9-Drops-Soft-Scrollback

[hax0r]

IMHO mainline Linux is in urgent need of DRM/KMS based kernel console such as kmscon, however that one is for userspace and pretty much abandoned, I hope systemd would come up with something one day. Linux should have some sort of BSOD like functionality, the console should be able to break 256 glyph barrier and display unicode, it is 2020.

No "soft scrollback"? Well that absolutely sucks. Linux kernel console should have come with tmux like tiling functionality built-in so you could run 2 commands side by side, and copy/paste/pipe between them with a cursor.

Seems like they are always removing the useful parts. I remember the sarcastic patch once posted to lkml that removed i8042 keyboard and display support.

[ed31337]

The "screen" command is your friend if you need soft scrollback.

[NateHubbard]

The "screen" command is your friend if you need soft scrollback.

Except when you need it, you weren't running a screen.

[ssokolow]

Except when you need it, you weren't running a screen.

You can always set up your rc files to launch screen on login. That's what I do.

I get the added benefit of C-a c and being able to detach something and then re-attach it in a GUI terminal if I want to.

[Aguazul]

Well, I still use FBCON on a Raspberry Pi as a terminal for doing most things (coding, E-mail, chat, note-taking, task management, timesheet, spreadsheet, etc), with another screen for stuff that requires a GUI. However I don't use scrollback, since I run everything remotely under screen. But if Linus gets rid of FBCON entirely, then I'll have some emergency coding to do to create a replacement that suits me. (I have a lot of shortcuts set up in the kernel keymap.)

[c117152]

IMHO mainline Linux is in urgent need of DRM/KMS based kernel console such as kmscon, however that one is for userspace and pretty much abandoned, I hope systemd would come up with something one day. Linux should have some sort of BSOD like functionality, the console should be able to break 256 glyph barrier and display unicode, it is 2020.

No "soft scrollback"? Well that absolutely sucks. Linux kernel console should have come with tmux like tiling functionality built-in so you could run 2 commands side by side, and copy/paste/pipe between them with a cursor.

Seems like they are always removing the useful parts. I remember the sarcastic patch once posted to lkml that removed i8042 keyboard and display support.

ChromeOS's frecon is still maintained: https://chromium.googlesource.com/ch...atform/frecon/

I guess they didn't upstream it since no one was interested. Until now...

[Mangix]

IMHO mainline Linux is in urgent need of DRM/KMS based kernel console such as kmscon, however that one is for userspace and pretty much abandoned, I hope systemd would come up with something one day. Linux should have some sort of BSOD like functionality, the console should be able to break 256 glyph barrier and display unicode, it is 2020.

No "soft scrollback"? Well that absolutely sucks. Linux kernel console should have come with tmux like tiling functionality built-in so you could run 2 commands side by side, and copy/paste/pipe between them with a cursor.

Seems like they are always removing the useful parts. I remember the sarcastic patch once posted to lkml that removed i8042 keyboard and display support.

hahahahaha the irony in this comment is amazing.

A while back, everyone was trashing systemd.

[tildearrow]

Sorry but I use this feature and it's useful to me... D:

[kcrudup]

Sorry but I use this feature and it's useful to me

Same (it's useful when running bleeding-edge kernels as I have all syslog/etc output go to VT12) but as I use i915 KMS does this mean I still have it?