Re: GGI Project Unhappy On Linux

Edward S. Marshall (emarshal@logic.net)
Thu, 26 Mar 1998 23:03:07 +0000 (GMT)


On Thu, 26 Mar 1998, Kenneth Albanowski wrote:
> _This_ is the key statement, as far as I'm concerned. The kernel does
> _not_ "just [let] it have access to the graphics chip registers and screen
> RAM". It gives X complete access to all system functionality (via the
> graphics chip registers and screen RAM, most likely), the ability to
> cli/sti, and other various things needed to manipulate the hardware.

Precisely. X is only one possible interface to the console. SVGAlib is
another (as much as some might dislike it). Virtual consoles are yet
another. As it stands now, none of this cleanly interoperate. By enforcing
a stable hardware access mechanism (KGI, fbcon, etc) in the kernel, you
solve the interoperability problem before it becomes one, since apps
-must- "play nice" with each other.

> Likewise, I normally use machines with MMU exception handing, operate my
> machines as non-root users, with IO perms disabled, and without
> permissions to access to raw disk partitions, for an equally 'alleged'
> improvement in security.

Right. There are different kinds of security, although in this case I
believe we are stating it with an emphasis on "stability". Although a
workstation may not be 'secure' with physical access to the machine, it
should most certainly be 'stable' while the user in front of the screen is
working.

As it stands, I generally only run text consoles because I've had too many
problems with X obliterating the console. Same problem with Doom, Quake,
QuakeWorld, and half a dozen other graphical apps. I've resorted to text
consoles, because I don't have the time to waste resetting my machine. You
can argue that this is just because of poor coding of the application; I
argue that an unstable application should NOT be able to take the whole
system with it.

If I wanted to accept the idea of the occasional lockup, I'd just run
Windows. I'm not willing to accept that, however, because I need to get
real work done.

-- 
-------------------.  emarshal at logic.net  .---------------------------------
Edward S. Marshall  `-----------------------'   http://www.logic.net/~emarshal/

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