Re: Default character set of the Linux console

Eugene Crosser (crosser@average.org)
27 Dec 1997 16:44:35 GMT


In article <Pine.LNX.3.96.971226140736.3737A-100000@qrnik.knm.org.pl>,
Qrczak <qrczak@knm.org.pl> writes:

> As you know, the default character set of the standard Linux text mode
> console is ISO-8859-1. One can switch to some other charset by loading a
> font together with its Screen Font Map (SFM), loading an
> Application-Charset Map (ACM) and activating it by emitting `^[(K' to the
> console.
>
> But many people want something other than ISO-8859-1. The font, SFM and
> ACM survive almost everything - they remain the same until loading the new
> ones. The only problem is that to make the custom ACM active, somebody has
> to output `^[(K'. Resetting the terminal with ^[c or logging out brings
> ISO-8859-1 back. And there is no good place for the `^[(K'!

Personally I think that keeping custom maps after \Ec is a really bad
idea, as \Ec should reset console to "definitely usable" state, and
when custom map is loaded, you cannot guarantee this.

Although, I am out of the driver development business for a long time
now, so you may safely disregard my opinion :-)

-- 
Eugene Crosser; 2:5020/230@fidonet; http://www.average.org/~crosser/