Re: [gentoo-user] Re: about boot with framebuffer

[Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com>]

On Mon, Jul 4, 2011 at 11:10 AM, Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com> wrote:
> Albert Hopkins <marduk@letterboxes.org> writes:
>
>> On Sunday, July 3 at 22:07 (-0500), Harry Putnam said:
>>> this is a no X machine... it appears at the cited URL they expect you
>>> to be running xorg.
>>
>> KMS doesn't require X, but Xorg can use it.  Basically Xorg can let the
>> kernel handle graphics mode setting and gets out of the way.
>>
>> But KMS doesn't require X.  The link I provided shows how to enable KMS.
>> it just happens to be in part of the Xorg docs.
>>
>
> Are you saying it does not require `xorg-x11'.
>
> Step 2) says in large type:
>   `2.  Installing Xorg'
>
> Then a big note in a green box later on says:
>
> ,----
> | Note: You could install the xorg-x11 metapackage instead of the more
> | lightweight xorg-server. Functionally, xorg-x11 and xorg-server are
> | the same. However, xorg-x11 brings in many more packages that you
> | probably don't need, such as a huge assortment of fonts in many
> | different languages. They're not necessary for a working desktop.
> `----
>
> So I'm a little confused.
>
> -------        ---------       ---=---       ---------      --------
>
> The way I've been doing this only required `vesa' or `uvesa' and some
> special kernel line stuff.  None of the X related stuff is necessary.
>
> From covici's post... I think I may need to say uvesa where I've been
> saying vesa.
>
> I'm going to try that some time today.  Its already enabled in my kernel
>

I'm a little confused by his post also, but I've never run a machine
without Xorg so maybe it's a technical point. With a framebuffer I
believe you can get a boot screen like the Install CD - a bunch of
little Tux's across the top - so you're doing graphics at that point
but you're not running X?

I was curious about this topic awhile back wondering if you could run
a Gentoo VM with only a framebuffer and get any graphics at all, or is
it just that the framebuffer is used to give you more control over the
console font/height/width selection.

(I've never run a framebuffer, if that's not obvious!) ;-)

- Mark