From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Apr 21 03:58:55 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8B0A8106564A for ; Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:58:55 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bulliver@badcomputer.org) Received: from pd4mo2so.prod.shaw.ca (idcmail-mo1so.shaw.ca [24.71.223.10]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 59C398FC15 for ; Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:58:55 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bulliver@badcomputer.org) Received: from pd4mr3so.prod.shaw.ca (pd4mr3so-qfe3.prod.shaw.ca [10.0.141.214]) by l-daemon (Sun ONE Messaging Server 6.0 HotFix 1.01 (built Mar 15 2004)) with ESMTP id <0JZN002XFMY6NT10@l-daemon> for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:58:54 -0600 (MDT) Received: from pn2ml4so.prod.shaw.ca ([10.0.121.148]) by pd4mr3so.prod.shaw.ca (Sun Java System Messaging Server 6.2-7.05 (built Sep 5 2006)) with ESMTP id <0JZN00GV4MY6AA20@pd4mr3so.prod.shaw.ca> for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:58:55 -0600 (MDT) Received: from xenon.badcomputer.org ([68.148.98.184]) by l-daemon (Sun ONE Messaging Server 6.0 HotFix 1.01 (built Mar 15 2004)) with ESMTP id <0JZN00FTZMY56010@l-daemon> for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:58:53 -0600 (MDT) Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:57:53 -0600 From: darren kirby In-reply-to: <919383240804201928o2f08c013qf394033d12f87dd7@mail.gmail.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Message-id: <200804202057.53647.bulliver@badcomputer.org> Organization: Badcomputer Org. MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-disposition: inline References: <919383240804201928o2f08c013qf394033d12f87dd7@mail.gmail.com> User-Agent: KMail/1.9.7 Subject: Re: Changing Console Video Modes X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: bulliver@badcomputer.org List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:58:55 -0000 quoth the Edward Ruggeri: > I'm just reading through the manual for FreeBSD, and I am at section > 3.2.6 "Changing Console Video Modes." This discusses how to change > the default console resolution. I would try this out, but as I can > only access my FreeBSD box remotely at the moment, I am hesitant to > recompile the kernel with the necessary options (I currently get an > error when running "#vidcontrol -i mode": "getting active vty: > Inappropriate ioctl for device". I assume this is because the current > kernel is insufficient?). I got this error too, over a ssh connection. vidcontrol worked fine when I tried it from the physical console. This was after rebuilding the kernel however. > I'm afraid my computer might need to be > booted by hand, which I wouldn't be able to do. I guess I would say hold off until you have physical access, because it makes no difference unless you are sitting in front. Perhaps it works over serial? I am not sure. > In any case, lacking the ability to experiment, I am curious about > different video modes. Will greater resolutions allow me to fit more > text on the screen in the console? Yes. Plus it just looks nicer, for lack of a better term. > Of course I know (maybe less than > I think) about resolution in terms of graphical environments (e.g., > can see more of a high-resolution image w/ a greater resolution), but > is it the same for text? Can't speak to this issue technically, but it essentially allows you to use much smaller, yet readable fonts in the console. > Thanks! > > Sincerely, > > -- Ned Ruggeri -d -- darren kirby :: Part of the problem since 1976 :: http://badcomputer.org "...the number of UNIX installations has grown to 10, with more expected..." - Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson, June 1972