> On Mon, 10 Jan 2000, NetBSD Bob wrote:
> 
> > 1.  Does the VSX40 8 plane color card work with NetBSD on VS3100 machines?
> 
> No.  Only the mono framebuffer is supported on the VAXstations 3100 and
> 2000, and the VT1300.  I believe others are occassionaly poking at the
> color support, but I don't know of any definite plans to support it soon.

OK, for my clarity, is the mono framebuffer a separate card like the color
thing or is it the native framebuffer on the cpu board?

What I will probably do is move my pmax mono monitors over to the VAXen
and then put the color monitors on the pmaxes.

> > 2.   When my VS3100 M30 or VS3100 M38 boot, on the mono monitors, VR-262
> > and VRM-17, it originally boots in a large font 36 or so line mode.
> > After the NetBSD first stage boot, it changes font to a 58 line or so
> > VT100 mode.  I like the automatic VT100 emulation, BUT, since I am
> > slightly myopic it can be difficult to read the 58 line screen.
> > Can the screen be operated in the 35 line mode that it originally boots
> > in, rather than changing to the microscopic font?  If so, how?
> 
> I don't think there are any provisions for it, but I think the suggestion
> is a good one.  Is there any precedent for this sort of thing on the other
> NetBSD ports?  (Allowing a choice of console font resolutions at either
> boot time, or even kernel compile time).

I did not know any other font resolutions were possible on other machines.
I did see that the VAXen come up in the large font, natively in rom, but
then change after the NetBSD first stage boot casts out its messages, and
the kernel loads.   The pmaxes all come up in the tiny font.   Are they
capable of other font sizes?  I dunno enuf about the hardware on those.

If the font is built into the prom or monitor, or howsumever it is handled,
I would very much like to see the larger font on the VS machines.  It makes
it so much easier on the eyeballes when browsing through code or text.
On dumb PC's or PC based unix toys, I keep a large 19 inch mono monitor
around for heavy text browsing.  It makes the code visible from almost
across the room.   Veddy good on the eyestrain.   Since the VS machines
seem to have that capability, I would like to beg/coerce/twist-arm/
send-a-virtual-brew/whatever to request that be done.  

Anyone know exactly where in the code the change in font size occurs?
IFF that could be toggled with a console prompt for either remaining native
or changing to the small font, that would be nice.  IFF it could be toggled
in a login script in some way, that would also be nice.  IFF it could be
toggled by a commandline ditty or script, that would also be nice.

It would be a oneupsmanship in the VAXen playpen, to have ``vision
impaired'' capability to some extent..... another good reason for
resurrecting VAXstations from the dumpsters.....(:+}}...

Thanks

Bob