Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:22:24 +0100 From: martinko <gamato@users.sf.net> To: freebsd-doc@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Adding splash screen section to handbook Message-ID: <gg4keg$ni4$1@ger.gmane.org> In-Reply-To: <491E9A3E.2070201@a1poweruser.com> References: <NBECLJEKGLBKHHFFANMBKELDCMAA.joeb@a1poweruser.com> <491E9A3E.2070201@a1poweruser.com>
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Fbsd1 wrote: > Had to use my other email address so i could bottom post. > >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: PÁLI Gábor János [mailto:pali.gabor@googlemail.com]On Behalf Of >> Gabor >> PALI >> Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 4:06 AM >> To: joeb@a1poweruser.com >> Cc: doc@FreeBSD.org >> Subject: Re: updateing splash screen faq >> >> Hi joeb, >> >> I started to review your proposed changes, and I have some comments: >> >> >>> "This makes for a visually cleaner experience getting to the X11 >>> Desktop Display Manager login screen and/or virtual console login >>> prompt." >> >> Sorry, I do not understand this sentence. >> >> > > There are 2 basic environments available in Freebsd, The first is the > default command line environment which has 8 virtual consoles controlled > by the F1 - F8 keys. When you boot the system you arrive at the F1 > virtual console login prompt. The is the environment a user would see > after a new install from cd. The second environment is the X11 Desktop > environment. After a user installs Xorg and one of the desktop managers, > gnome, kde, or Xfce like explained in the handbook they can launch the > desktop from the command line by using the startx command. Some X11 > users may select NOT to stop at the virtual console login prompt at boot > time but go directlly to the X11 desktop. They would use the display > manager of Xorg called xdm, or the the display manager of gnome called > gdm or the the display manager of kde called kdm. These display managers > basically provides a graphical login screen in place of the virtual > console login prompt. > > In virtual console command line environment the splash screen would hide > all the boot probe messages and startup messages before displaying the > login prompt. > > In X11 environments the users would get a visually clearer system start > up experience resembling something closer to what an ms/xp user would see. > >> >> I do not think you should mention every detail. In my opinion, it would >> be better to put all the text into the Handbook, then reference it from >> the FAQ (if you want to write all these things down step by step). Or >> why do not simply reference the corresponding manual pages for example? >> >> I think your changes make the answer too long, a FAQ entry should be >> more compact, a quick way to answer a problem, as it is the original >> version. To be honest, I am reluctant a bit to include all of >> your text in the FAQ in the first round. >> >> I would prefer a simple fix to remove the /boot/loader.rc part and >> include some manual page references. Well, here is my recommendation: >> > > First of all, the handbook does not have any reference to the splash > screen function. The only documentation on the splash screen is in the > FAQ. You should know that all ready. I agree with you that the splash > screen documentation should be removed from the FAQ and placed in the > handbook. Complete and full documentation is what is needed and the > handbook is the place it belongs. On that point I do not think the > splash screen belongs under the section dealing with X11 because it > really has nothing to do with X11. I think it should be in a new > sub-section, in section "3.0 UNIX Basics" after 3.2 Virtual Consoles and > Terminals, titled 3.3 Boot time Splash screen. > > So I have rewritten what I posted before and made some technical > corrections and added some more explanation background text. If you > check out the handbook Chapter 31 Firewalls you will see that I wrote > the whole chapter. I don't have the time nor the patiences to work > through the handbook SGML coding and approval process. So I am going to > hand off this new handbook section to you to do as you want with it. > Just give me my credit do as "Contributed by Joseph J. Barbish". > > > > > Handbook Section 3.0 UNIX Basics - 3.3 Boot time Splash screen > > > FreeBSD has a feature to allow the display of a "splash screen" in place > of seeing the boot messages rolling by. This makes for a clearer > visually experience getting to the legacy UNIX virtual console text > login prompt and/or the X-Display Manager graphical login screen. > > There are 2 basic environments available in FreeBSD. The first is the > default legacy UNIX virtual console text command line environment that > has 8 virtual consoles controlled by the F1 - F8 keyboard keys. When you > boot the system you arrive at the F1 virtual console text login prompt. > The second environment is the X11 Desktop graphical environment. After a > user installs X11. > > http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/x-install.html > > And one of the graphical desktop managers, gnome, kde, or Xfce. > > http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/x-xdm.html > > They can launch the X11 desktop from the command line by using the > startx command. Some X11 users may select NOT to stop at the virtual > console login prompt at boot time, but go directly to the X11 desktop > display manager's graphical login screen. They could use the display > manager of Xorg called xdm, or the display manager of gnome called gdm > or the display manager of kde called kdm or one of the other display > managers provided in the ports system. These display managers basically > provides a graphical login screen in place of the default legacy UNIX > virtual console text login prompt and after a successful login, puts the > user in their graphical windowed desktop. > > In the virtual console text command line environment the splash screen > would hide all the boot probe messages and task startup messages before > displaying the login prompt. > > In X11 environment the users would get a visually clearer system start > up experience resembling something closer to what a (Microsoft Windows > or non-unix type system) user would experience. > > > 3.3.1 Splash Screen Function; > > The "splash screen" function only supports 256 color bitmap (*.bmp) or > ZSoft PCX (*.pcx) files. In addition, the splash image files must have a > resolution of 320x200 or less to work because that is the default video > support FreeBSD provides. Your 320x200 "splash screen" image will be > displayed as a small block in the center of a solid white background > screen. > > If you want support for larger video resolutions up to the max of your > video card you have to add VESA support by loading the VESA module > during system boot. VESA support gives you the ability to display a > "splash screen" image that fills the whole display screen. > > While the "splash screen" is being displayed during the booting process > you can hit any keyboard key to return to the boot message display. > > The "splash screen" defaults to becoming your screen saver. After a time > period of non-use your screen will change to the "splash screen" and > cycles through steps of changing intensity of the image, from bright > intensity to a very dark intensity and over again. You can override this > default "splash screen" (screen saver) behavior by adding the saver= > option (screen saver) statement in /etc/rc.conf. The saver= option has > several built-in screen savers to choose from. Such as saver="warp". > This default "splash screen" screen saver and /etc/rc.conf, saver= > option screen saver only applies to virtual consoles. It has no effect > on X11 desktop display managers. > > At boot time with the "splash screen" enabled you still see a few boot > loader messages leading up to and including the boot options menu and > the timed wait count down prompt before the "splash screen" is displayed. > > Sample splash screen files can be downloaded from the gallery at > http://www.baldwin.cx/splash/. > > > 3.3.2 Enabling the Splash Screen Function; > > Your "splash screen" (*.bmp) or (*.pcx) file has to be placed in the > /boot directory. > > For default boot display resolution (256 color, 320x200 or less); > Edit /boot/loader.conf so it contains the following: > splash_bmp_load="YES" > bitmap_load="YES" > bitmap_name="/boot/splash.bmp" > > > For larger video resolutions up to the max of your video card; > Edit /boot/loader.conf so it contains the following: > vesa_load="YES" > splash_bmp_load="YES" > bitmap_load="YES" > bitmap_name="/boot/splash.bmp" > > > The above assumes you are using /boot/splash.bmp for your splash screen. > If you would rather use a PCX file, use these statements plus the > vesa_load="YES" statement depending on the resolution. > splash_pcx_load="YES" > bitmap_load="YES" > bitmap_name="/boot/splash.pcx" > > You are not restricted to using "splash" as the file name. You can name > it anything you want as long as it's a .bmp or .pcx file type. Such as > splash_640x400.bmp or blue_wave.bmp. > > > There are 2 another loader.conf options you may be interested in. > > beastie_disable="YES" > Will stop the boot options menu from being displayed. > You will still get the timed wait count down prompt. > Even with the display of the boot options menu disabled, entering an 1-6 > option selection at the timed wait count down prompt will enact that > boot option. > > Loader_logo="beastie" > This will replace the default words "FREE BDS" which are displayed to > the right of the boot options menu with the colored beastie logo like > releases in the past had. > Hi, As I've just replied to original thread: IIRC even with VESA there's a limit of 1024x768 for boot splash images. You may want to mention sysutils/bsd-splash-changer port with which you can have splash image chosen from your collection randomly at each boot. M.
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