FreeBSD's New VT Console Continues To Progress With Features

The FreeBSD "Newcons" effort to provide a new VT console driver continues making progress for its more proper debut in the next major FreeBSD release.

Newcons is the next-generation FreeBSD VT console that provides full Unicode support, double-width character support for CJK characters, larger font maps, and better use of modern graphics capabilities. The code has been enabled in FreeBSD HEAD since just before the new year. The new FreeBSD console is able to take advantage of kernel mode-setting with Radeon and Intel KMS, per the earlier story about KMS breaking the console in FreeBSD 10.0.

All basic console functionality is implemented within Newcons right now while features like CJK fonts and UTF-8 keymap support is still a work in progress. There's also issues with certain hardware configurations in supporting the new console, scrolling/refreshing being very slow for certain systems, etc.

For FreeBSD fans wishing to learn more about the current "Newcons" work, visit the FreeBSD.org Wiki.