[gentoo-user] X Windows setup questions on my new machine

[gentoo-user] X Windows setup questions on my new machine

[waltdnes]

1) Text sucks on webpages, and other GUI apps.  For a sample, see...
http://clients.teksavvy.com/~walterdnes/misc/webtext.png where I snipped
2 sentences from the CNN webpage.  How can I fix it?

2) Back in 2000, one of the things that drove me to linux was the
availability of true console text mode, and also true console text mode
apps.  Up till now, I've used text mode when possible, because it's a
lot easier on my eyes.  I'm realistic about using X for web browsing and
spreadsheets, and other GUI-oriented stuff.  But email and text files
should be textmode, dammit.

  However, my new machine's Intel integrated graphics chip doesn't agree.
X will *NOT* work unless I enable i915 DRM driver in make menuconfig,
like so...

<*>   Intel 830M, 845G, 852GM, 855GM, 865G (i915 driver)  --->

  This results in framebuffer being *FORCED* on.

<*> Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI support
-*- Lowlevel video output switch controls
-*- Support for frame buffer devices  --->

  Let's just say that framebuffer video on a 1920x1200 24" LCD "sucketh
to the max".  I get 74 rows by some ridiculous number of columns of
miniscule, virtually unreadable font.  This is with the default VGA
boot, not with VGA=6.  Is there any way I can get rid of framebuffer
mode, while retaining X functionality?  Why the bleep does X Windows
require framebuffer, anyways?  The "lspci -vv" output for my video card
is listed below...

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Clarkdale
Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 12) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. Device 7636
        Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop-
ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx+
        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort-
<TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
        Latency: 0
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 31
        Region 0: Memory at fb800000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
        Region 2: Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        Region 4: I/O ports at cc00 [size=8]
        Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
        Capabilities: [90] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
                Address: fee0f00c  Data: 4199
        Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
                Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA
PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
                Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
        Capabilities: [a4] PCI Advanced Features
                AFCap: TP+ FLR+
                AFCtrl: FLR-
                AFStatus: TP-
        Kernel driver in use: i915

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>

Re: [gentoo-user] X Windows setup questions on my new machine

[Christopher Swift]

On 26 June 2010 22:36,  <waltdnes@waltdnes.org> wrote:
> 1) Text sucks on webpages, and other GUI apps.  For a sample, see...
> http://clients.teksavvy.com/~walterdnes/misc/webtext.png where I snipped
> 2 sentences from the CNN webpage.  How can I fix it?
>
> 2) Back in 2000, one of the things that drove me to linux was the
> availability of true console text mode, and also true console text mode
> apps.  Up till now, I've used text mode when possible, because it's a
> lot easier on my eyes.  I'm realistic about using X for web browsing and
> spreadsheets, and other GUI-oriented stuff.  But email and text files
> should be textmode, dammit.
>
>  However, my new machine's Intel integrated graphics chip doesn't agree.
> X will *NOT* work unless I enable i915 DRM driver in make menuconfig,
> like so...
>
> <*>   Intel 830M, 845G, 852GM, 855GM, 865G (i915 driver)  --->
>
>  This results in framebuffer being *FORCED* on.
>
> <*> Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI support
> -*- Lowlevel video output switch controls
> -*- Support for frame buffer devices  --->
>
>  Let's just say that framebuffer video on a 1920x1200 24" LCD "sucketh
> to the max".  I get 74 rows by some ridiculous number of columns of
> miniscule, virtually unreadable font.  This is with the default VGA
> boot, not with VGA=6.  Is there any way I can get rid of framebuffer
> mode, while retaining X functionality?  Why the bleep does X Windows
> require framebuffer, anyways?  The "lspci -vv" output for my video card
> is listed below...
>
> 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Clarkdale
> Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 12) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
>        Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. Device 7636
>        Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop-
> ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx+
>        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort-
> <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
>        Latency: 0
>        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 31
>        Region 0: Memory at fb800000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
>        Region 2: Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
>        Region 4: I/O ports at cc00 [size=8]
>        Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
>        Capabilities: [90] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
>                Address: fee0f00c  Data: 4199
>        Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
>                Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA
> PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
>                Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
>        Capabilities: [a4] PCI Advanced Features
>                AFCap: TP+ FLR+
>                AFCtrl: FLR-
>                AFStatus: TP-
>        Kernel driver in use: i915
>
> --
> Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
>
>

I had a similar problem with fonts in X and I used the following
walkthrough guide to fix it:
http://www.kev009.com/wp/2009/12/getting-beautiful-fonts-in-gentoo-linux/

Hope this helps,
Chris.

Re: [gentoo-user] X Windows setup questions on my new machine

[Mick]

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On Saturday 26 June 2010 23:48:46 Christopher Swift wrote:
> On 26 June 2010 22:36,  <waltdnes@waltdnes.org> wrote:
> > 1) Text sucks on webpages, and other GUI apps.  For a sample, see...
> > http://clients.teksavvy.com/~walterdnes/misc/webtext.png where I snipped
> > 2 sentences from the CNN webpage.  How can I fix it?
> > 
> > 2) Back in 2000, one of the things that drove me to linux was the
> > availability of true console text mode, and also true console text mode
> > apps.  Up till now, I've used text mode when possible, because it's a
> > lot easier on my eyes.  I'm realistic about using X for web browsing and
> > spreadsheets, and other GUI-oriented stuff.  But email and text files
> > should be textmode, dammit.
> > 
> >  However, my new machine's Intel integrated graphics chip doesn't agree.
> > X will *NOT* work unless I enable i915 DRM driver in make menuconfig,
> > like so...
> > 
> > <*>   Intel 830M, 845G, 852GM, 855GM, 865G (i915 driver)  --->
> > 
> >  This results in framebuffer being *FORCED* on.
> > 
> > <*> Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI support
> > -*- Lowlevel video output switch controls
> > -*- Support for frame buffer devices  --->
> > 
> >  Let's just say that framebuffer video on a 1920x1200 24" LCD "sucketh
> > to the max".  I get 74 rows by some ridiculous number of columns of
> > miniscule, virtually unreadable font.  This is with the default VGA
> > boot, not with VGA=6.  Is there any way I can get rid of framebuffer
> > mode, while retaining X functionality?  Why the bleep does X Windows
> > require framebuffer, anyways?  The "lspci -vv" output for my video card
> > is listed below...
> > 
> > 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Clarkdale
> > Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 12) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
> >        Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. Device 7636
> >        Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop-
> > ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx+
> >        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort-
> > <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
> >        Latency: 0
> >        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 31
> >        Region 0: Memory at fb800000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
> >        Region 2: Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
> >        Region 4: I/O ports at cc00 [size=8]
> >        Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
> >        Capabilities: [90] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
> >                Address: fee0f00c  Data: 4199
> >        Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
> >                Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA
> > PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
> >                Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
> >        Capabilities: [a4] PCI Advanced Features
> >                AFCap: TP+ FLR+
> >                AFCtrl: FLR-
> >                AFStatus: TP-
> >        Kernel driver in use: i915
> > 
> > --
> > Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
> 
> I had a similar problem with fonts in X and I used the following
> walkthrough guide to fix it:
> http://www.kev009.com/wp/2009/12/getting-beautiful-fonts-in-gentoo-linux/

Walter, have you tried to find the vga modes that your card supports using 
vbetools (you'll need vbetest) or running 'hwinfo --vbe' ?

Then you can experiment with the different settings until you get a font size 
that suits your needs.

-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] X Windows setup questions on my new machine

[Willie Wong]

On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 12:13:13AM +0100, Mick wrote:
> > >  However, my new machine's Intel integrated graphics chip doesn't agree.
> > > X will *NOT* work unless I enable i915 DRM driver in make menuconfig,
> > > like so...
> > > 
> > > <*>   Intel 830M, 845G, 852GM, 855GM, 865G (i915 driver)  --->
> > > 
> > >  This results in framebuffer being *FORCED* on.
> > > 
> > > <*> Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI support
> > > -*- Lowlevel video output switch controls
> > > -*- Support for frame buffer devices  --->

> Walter, have you tried to find the vga modes that your card supports using 
> vbetools (you'll need vbetest) or running 'hwinfo --vbe' ?

With the intel driver and X, he needs to have kernel mode setting
enabled. I seem to remember that it doesn't play well with the vga
mode setting for framebuffers. 

But Walter: you should be able to add a line on your lilo/grub prompt
for the Intel KMS to set the display resolution at boot time. See the
Kernel documentation in /usr/src/linux for the Intel GMA driver for
more info on that. (Technically you should be able to rung the console
at a different resolution than X; there may require another tweak at
the kernel level to make the switch to VT after starting X play nice.
See the gentoo-wiki article on Kernel Mode Setting.)

Also, have you tried just using larger fonts on the console? If you
emerge sys-apps/kbd, there should be some fonts in
/usr/share/consolefonts. You can use "setfont <name>" to test which
one you want to use (some of them are bigger fonts). You may also want
to try media-fonts/terminus-font (what I use), it claims to have a
16x32 variant which is twice as large as the default console fonts. 

After finding a font you like you can set it in
/etc/conf.d/consolefont to automatically load at boot time. 

Cheers, 

W
-- 
Willie W. Wong                                     wwong@math.princeton.edu
Data aequatione quotcunque fluentes quantitae involvente fluxiones invenire 
         et vice versa   ~~~  I. Newton

Re: [gentoo-user] X Windows setup questions on my new machine

[waltdnes]

On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 08:26:25AM -0400, Willie Wong wrote

> Also, have you tried just using larger fonts on the console? If you
> emerge sys-apps/kbd, there should be some fonts in
> /usr/share/consolefonts. You can use "setfont <name>" to test which
> one you want to use (some of them are bigger fonts). You may also want
> to try media-fonts/terminus-font (what I use), it claims to have a
> 16x32 variant which is twice as large as the default console fonts. 

  Thanks for the idea.  I'm now using sun12x22.  It gives me 160 columns
by 54 rows.  It's perfectly readable, although the right half of the
text console screen is blank most of the time.  Oh well, I'll probably
be using "vsplit" in vim a lot more now.

> After finding a font you like you can set it in
> /etc/conf.d/consolefont to automatically load at boot time. 

  I used to do that with vga=6 in /etc/lilo.conf and lat1-10 in
/etc/conf.d/consolefont which combined to give me a nice crisp 48 row
display.

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>