Subject: RE: resolutions
To: Sporleder, Matthew \(CCI-Atlanta\) <Matthew.Sporleder@cox.com>
From: Richard Rauch <rauch@rice.edu>
List: netbsd-help
Date: 03/29/2002 22:10:24
> Actually, I was talking about the console.  The colour depth isn't
> really an issue for most things, other than my laptop makes the
> transition to/frin X easier if it is already running that the desired
> resolutions/colour depth.  (sometimes it does this weird screen
> melting thing)  If wsdisplay is running a frame buffer, then I wanted

Ah, I see.  I don't know the answer to your question, then.  Sorry.

The issue may be somewhat platform dependant, though.


> to know if it was possible to select a different video mode. I see
> that the number of rows/columns available on screen can be changed by
> just using a smaller font and using wsconscfg -t command, but is it as
> powerful as the frame buffer?  Or is the framebuffer option in lilo
> actually some kind of X service working?

I have no idea about how the LINUX LILO feature works.  Sorry again.  (^&


> Changing the resolution of the console (terminal was a bad word.  It
> was late and I apologize :) is beneficial because you can get more
> text on the screen.  Maybe you're right and I'm going about it in the
> wrong way, but I was trying to emulate something that happens like
> this: http://www.slackware.com/book/index.php?source=c1710.html#LILO

I see.  I don't know what the limits are with wscons and custom font
selection.  From the loss of quality between the default font and the
50-line font, I assume that the video resolution remains fixed and a
``scrunched down'' font is selected.  At least on the i386.


If you really want this feature and your port doesn't have it, you might
look at how some other ports (lacking a hardware text mode) handle the
local console.  Maybe you can import the code and adapt it.  (^&


 [...]
> extended (or ext): select 80x50 text mode.

You can get a ~50-line mode with wscons, on a per-virtual-console basis.


Re. the other LILO options: They just exist to make less of a jerk in the
video mode transition between X and the console, yes?  It's just a mild
aesthetic improvement, not a functional improvement?


  ``I probably don't know what I'm talking about.'' --rauch@math.rice.edu