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SubjectRe: [Feature Wish] GGI in Linux 2.3
Date
Alan Cox (alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk) wrote:
> I had a good look at the current GGI and it has several problems to say the
> least.

> o Its console emulation isnt Linux but a sort of pseudo xterminal

That's a design decision on our part. The console code is
segmented and replacable. [via compile-time in the current rev,
and module-load in our EvStack devel tree]. If you want a `true'
Linux console, more power to you.

> o It appears to have no provision for non byte wide fonts

We have realized that, and are working on it. The EvStack
devel tree (http://salsa.visus.com/~ggi) is following the FBcon
model for console support, and allows up to 256 simultaneous
Unicode fonts, each in Blink, Bold, Underline, etc. I have personally
been working on the new codebase (EvStack) and welcome your perusal
of the codebase. It isn't `ready for prime time' yet, but the
includes (http://salsa.visus.com/~ggi/projects/ggi-evstack/include/ggi)
can give you a flavor of what we're working one.

Of (probable) interest to you is the console.h and scroll_struct.h
includes, which define out multihead console interface.

> o It breaks all the existing low level mouse/keyboard interfaces
> and replaces them with its own which has policy in kernel space

Again, a design decision. We treat all input devices as, well,
input devices - they generate events, which the GGI kernel either
processes (for the console) or delivers raw (/dev/event). This is
similiar is spirit to how there is one SCSI subsystem which manages
scsi controllers, as opposed to a /dev/aic7xxx, a /dev/ncr5850, etc..

> Having said that if combined with the current fbcon code it does give you
> support for reliable SVGA mode switching and kernel side acceleration
> where useful (eg DMA driven video blits from main memory) and there is
> useful stuff that can be salvaged from it.

We're working on that combination - in spirit - in the EvStack code.
I'm planning to attend Linux Expo'98 in NC, and hope to have the new
EvStack GGI kernel codebase in Beta by then.

> The nicest looking bits are actually the userspace support libraries which
> show some promise.

These are the bits we're most proud of. Having a single
binary that can work on X, GGI, or SVGAlib without a recompile
or display-specific coding is nice.

--
Jason McMullan - Linux - GGI - http://synergy.foo.net/~ggi
NT 5.0 is the last nail in the Unix coffin. Interestingly, Unix
isn't in the coffin... It's wondering what the heck is sealing
itself into a wooden box 6 feet underground...

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