On Wed, 2 Jun 1999, Mark Brinicombe wrote:

> It reads the res and depth from the console driver so this can be changed
> with the setdisplay util (which needs overhaulling itself).
> 
> What doe people think is the best way to do this ?

Well, since you _did_ ask, here i go...  :)

I think that, on as many ports as possible,
 o The console should be bitmapped, and NetBSD code should render
   the characters
 o The default/initial location of the console cursor should be the bottom
   of the screen, unless this can be otherwise determined by OF, OBP, usw.
 o The screen should never be cleared by anything but userland terminal
   output.  No boot logos! :)  Resolution changes should preserve the old
   frame with bottom-left pixel gravity, to the extent this is easily
   codable.
 o The X server should inherit timing information from the console.  In
   no cases should it have timings otherwise available to it, not compiled
   in, _not in a config file,_ not read from some ROM chip.
 o The console driver should come with a tool for setting from userland 
   and compiling in via config(8) XFree86-style arbitrary timing
   information, _in addition to_ inheriting it from the booting
   firmware, MacOS, a ROM chip, whatever, when such inheritance is
   desireable or traditionally necessary (read:  on a notPeeCee).

If this is the direction your work is headed, then my personal
insignificant hat goes off to you wholeheartedly.  I have a lot of huge,
technically-elegant cheapass monitors that would love such a state of
affairs.

The point here is that, often, monitors (and video timings) can be
machine-independent.

I'm not sure what's the best hypothetical way to bring XFree86 servers
under this whip--given that they're rumored to be a lot more MI in release
4.0 this is likely to become desirable RSN. Perhaps wscons should try to
store/collect timings into itself where it knows how, rather than leaving
them at peace within MD hardware--then (a) they could be user-queried, and
(b) XFree86 could simply use something analagous to 'Protocol "wsmouse"'.  
Like 'Monitor "wsmonitor"' or something.

-- 
Miles Nordin / 1-888-857-2723
555 Bryant Street PMB 182 / Palo Alto, CA 94301-1700