Re: Unicode console patch

H. Peter Anvin (hpa@transmeta.com)
31 Jan 1999 02:27:55 GMT


Followup to: <Pine.LNX.4.05.9901301738150.508-100000@qrnik.knm.org.pl>
By author: "Marcin 'Qrczak' Kowalczyk" <qrczak@knm.org.pl>
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> On Sat, 30 Jan 1999, Stanislav V. Voronyi wrote:
>
> > one useful feature from my patch - get/set all variables concerning to
> > traslations (translate,charset,G0_charset,G1_charset,utf) with help of
> > two additional TIOCLINUX ioctls.
>

Please don't extend TIOCLINUX. It was a bad mistake to begin with,
and furthermore, we're trying to move away from ioctl()s (ioctl()s
were used because most changes affected *all* consoles. Per-console
changes should be done with escape codes.)

I'm working on a completely new console spec that is ISO
2022-compliant (the current console isn't, and cannot be made to be.)

> Yes, it's really needed: checking UTF-8 mode by measuring cursor motion is
> a pain, with side effects of flushing stdin. I need to examine the whole
> translation mode info in one tool.
>
> I wonder if its ever possible to put this interface into xterm and telnet.

One of the reasons I'm doing this is so non-console terminals will be
able to accept the same interface.

> BTW, where can I ask about framebuffer? Will it be possible to load more
> than 512 characters? Will it be compatible with dosemu in its "graphics",
> "non-console" mode? How to set fonts with a non-8 width? How about drivers
> for various SVGA cards? My S3 Virge requires DOS univbe for VESA 2.0 - it
> works, but is it safe - can Linux corrupt univbe's code, or maybe it uses
> it only to switch the mode on?

> Oh, one more thing: Linux standard line discipline erases only a single
> byte with Backspace, even in UTF-8 mode, although on the screen the cursor
> goes back the whole character. This needs fixing.

Good spotting.

-hpa

-- 
"Linux is a very complete and sophisticated operating system.  There
are, and will be, large numbers of applications available for it."
    -- Paul Maritz, Group Vice President for Platforms And Applications,
       Microsoft Corporation [Reference at: http://www.kernel.org/~hpa/ms.html]

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