Re: gpm in standard or not [was: Re: interesting times installing 2.4.17 in Woody...]

[Josip Rodin <joy@cibalia.gkvk.hr>]

On Sun, Feb 24, 2002 at 12:18:57AM -0800, Joseph Carter wrote:
> > Any task for people who want to use Linux console should include gpm, or
> > any other program that allows copy&paste. I still believe there's a lot
> > of people out there that won't run X for all their needs.
> 
> Agreed, but if gpm is installed as a standard package, it reasonably must
> not be configured automatically.  The other option is to push for wider
> adoption of the input core drivers in 2.5.x, which likely will happen
> anyway.  As it stands, gpm is an unnecessarily complex program.  It's much
> a house of cards.
> 
> You have to understand that the very act of probing the PS/2 port to see
> if there is a mouse connected causes all input from the AT keyboard to
> stop.  This is unreasonable for any package installed as standard since
> failure to boot the machine with a mouse plugged in should not involve ssh
> to shut down the machine or hitting the reset button and praying nothing
> gets corrupted.  Journalling filesystem?  Er, in potato?  This problem's
> existed for years now.
> 
> Of course, the kernel knows if there is no mouse connected to the PS/2
> port; it checks that as soon as it identifies that there is a PS/2 port.
> Userspace programs, however, get to take their chances.  It's a lovely
> problem that's been given a bandaid solution so far, the input core
> drivers are the only real fix in sight.  The Linux Console project is also
> trying to revamp the VT system quite a bit.  Hopefully when they're done
> with it, gpm may not be necessary any longer.

I haven't seen a single system where gpm caused any damage. Sure, sometimes
the mouse type options were confusing when it came to my no-name mouses and
I had to fiddle with it, but I can say the same for a lot of the other
standard packages.

I've plugged PS/2 mouses in and out before, it never caused the keyboard to
die... maybe because the machines also had PS/2 keyboards. I don't think
I've seen a newer machine that uses PS/2 for the mouse and AT for the
keyboard.

If it's been working this far, and it obviously has since there isn't a
single RC bug filed against it, why downgrade it now?

Anyway. If everybody is so inclined to deprecate gpm, please come up with a
viable alternative before that, because I still want a copy&paste in the
console. :)

-- 
     2. That which causes joy or happiness.