From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Feb 11 12:01:00 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A22C81065728; Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:01:00 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from olli@lurza.secnetix.de) Received: from lurza.secnetix.de (unknown [IPv6:2a01:170:102f::2]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 13B228FC14; Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:00:59 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from olli@lurza.secnetix.de) Received: from lurza.secnetix.de (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by lurza.secnetix.de (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id n1BC0wqH006844; Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:58 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from oliver.fromme@secnetix.de) Received: (from olli@localhost) by lurza.secnetix.de (8.14.3/8.14.3/Submit) id n1BC0wni006842; Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:58 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from olli) From: Oliver Fromme Message-Id: <200902111200.n1BC0wni006842@lurza.secnetix.de> To: ale@FreeBSD.org (Alex Dupre) Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:58 +0100 (CET) In-Reply-To: <4992B049.30903@FreeBSD.org> X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL8] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-2.1.2 (lurza.secnetix.de [127.0.0.1]); Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:58 +0100 (CET) Cc: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.org, freebsd-current@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: CFT: Graphics support for /boot/loader X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:01:07 -0000 Alex Dupre wrote: > Oliver Fromme ha scritto: > > The problem is related to the fact that a 64bit kernel > > cannot use VESA BIOS functions. You should be able to > > use standard VGA modes though, which don't require VESA > > support. > > Actually I cannot see any splash screen on amd64, at least on the > machines I tried (most with ATI ES1000 cards), with a 320x200x8 bitmap. > No problems with i386 (on the same machines). Yeah, my fingers were faster than my brain. The current syscons code cannot switch modes (no matter if VESA or standard VGA) if there is no BIOS support. It probably makes sense to let the boot loader set up graphics mode (including VESA support), so it is already active when the kernel comes up. Then the kernel will only have to deal with the frame buffer, not with the BIOS. That will work on both i386 and amd64 platforms. The only drawback is that the mode cannot be changed by the kernel once it is running, i.e. you have to stay in that mode till reboot. That solution requires support by the loader and by syscons. It is my plan to look into that, as soon as the basic graphics support in the loader is finished. Best regards Oliver -- Oliver Fromme, secnetix GmbH & Co. KG, Marktplatz 29, 85567 Grafing b. M. Handelsregister: Registergericht Muenchen, HRA 74606, Geschäftsfuehrung: secnetix Verwaltungsgesellsch. mbH, Handelsregister: Registergericht Mün- chen, HRB 125758, Geschäftsführer: Maik Bachmann, Olaf Erb, Ralf Gebhart FreeBSD-Dienstleistungen, -Produkte und mehr: http://www.secnetix.de/bsd "[...] one observation we can make here is that Python makes an excellent pseudocoding language, with the wonderful attribute that it can actually be executed." -- Bruce Eckel