Re: [gentoo-user] Soft scrolling on framebuffer consoles - with GPM handling - version of the patch for kernel 6.3 onwards.

[Peter Humphrey <peter@prh.myzen.co.uk>]

On Wednesday, 4 October 2023 14:16:44 BST Alan Mackenzie wrote:
> Hello, Gentoo.
> 
> On Fri, Feb 03, 2023 at 18:56:27 +0000, Alan Mackenzie wrote:
> 
> The topic of this post is my kernel patch which enables soft scrolling
> on Linux tty's with <shift><PgUp> and <shift><PgDn>, and also enables
> the GPM mouse utility on those scrolled regions.
> 
> Currently, the patch I posted some months ago works on all 6.1.x
> kernels, and very likely works on 6.2.x, too.  In kernel 6.3.1, some
> significant refactoring was done by the kernel people, necessitating a
> new version of the patch, called 6.3.11-GPM.20231004.diff.  I've tested
> this on 6.3.11 and 6.5.5.
> 
> Just a quick reminder of how to use these files for anybody else who
> might be interested:
> (i) cd /usr/src/linux-6.3.11-gentoo, or similar.  (Or ...-6.1.x-gentoo).
> (ii) patch -p1 < 6.3.11-GPM.20231004.diff (or the other one).
> (iii) Configure the kernel as normal.  Additionally, under Device
> drivers/Graphic Support/Console display driver support, enable
> CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_SOFT_SCROLLBACK, set the buffer size to 
taste
> (it's default is 128 kB) and accept the default enablement of
> CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_SOFT_SCROLLBACK_GPM.
> (iv) Build the kernel and install it into your boot manager.
> (v) Reboot and enjoy!  You can now use GPM in scrolled consoles.
> 
> Just a warning: if you copy your kernel .config from a 6.1.x kernel, and
> use make oldconfig to generate a new kernel for 6.3.x etc., you will
> have to enable CONFIG_HID_SUPPORT, otherwise your USB keyboard and 
mouse
> will be dead on bootup.  ;-(
> 
> The usual disclaimers apply, here.  If this patch breaks anything for
> you, you get to join the pieces back together again.  But if this does
> happen, please let me know, so that I can try to fix the bug.  My only
> promise is that there's nothing malicious in the patch.
> 
> As well as 6.3.11-GPM.20231004.diff, I'm reposting
> 6.1.8-GPM.20230203.diff for anybody new here who wants to try it on the
> current Gentoo 6.1.x kernel.

Many thanks again Alan. What a stalwart you are!

-- 
Regards,
Peter.