Re: black/blank screen with kon2

[Taketoshi Sano <sano@debian.org>]

Hi.

In <[🔎] 3EB912AA.6040403@gmx.de>,
  on Wed, 07 May 2003 23:05:30 +0900,
    on black/blank screen with kon2,
 anobo@gmx.de wrote:

> I `apt-get install'ed the packages kon2 and konfont.  Then I tried to 
> start `kon' but only got a black/blank screen.  If I switching between 
> the kon started console and an other console I can see sometimes 
> something (don't ask me what, I am not that fast with my eyes!).  If I 

My Note PC (NEC Lavie-Z LZ3001A) behaves as yours when
"Screen Expansion" is enabled with BIOS setting.

Now I disabled that expansion from BIOS setting menu,
and kon2 works well.

Graphic chips on My Note PC is ATI Rage Mobility.
Following is quoted from /var/log/XFree86.0.log:

  (--) ATI(0): ATI 3D Rage Mobility graphics controller detected.
  (--) ATI(0): Chip type 4C52 "LR", version 4, foundry TSMC, class 0, revision 0x01

> ---cut---here---
> Kanji ON Console ver.0.3.9 (2000/04/09)
>
> KON> video type `VGA' selected
> KON> hardware scroll mode.
> /usr/bin/fld> load JISX0201.1976-0 in shmem(_some numbers_): 4096 Byte
> /usr/bin/fld> load JISX0208.1983-0 in shmem(_some numbers_): 241824 Bytes
> KON> fatal error: Terminated
>
> I don't understand the first `/usr/bin/fld>...', because there is no 
> such an entry in `/etc/kon.cfg'.

Maybe your /etc/kon.cfg has these entries:

minix-gzip:Startup
        gzip -d < /usr/share/fonts/kon/pubfont.a.gz | /usr/bin/fld -t minix -n
        gzip -d < /usr/share/fonts/kon/pubfont.k.gz | /usr/bin/fld -t minix -n

I think that pubfont.a.gz has the fonts for JISX0201.1976-0, 
and pubfont.k.gz for JISX0208.1983-0.

("Startup" means the default entry.)

> Furthermore I found no logs in /var/log/ and cause most of the 
> documentation is written in japanese (without the ability to display 
> japanese) I am unable to read it.

I think you can read English manual page with "LANG=C man kon".
And yes most of the documents under /usr/share/doc/kon2 is written
in Japanese, but nothing of them explains about your trouble.
I think this is machine (or graphic chips) specific issue.

> Anybody out there, who can help (would be very appreciated)?

If your system has "Video Screen Expansion" switch in the BIOS
setting menu, then just try disabling it.

Good Luck
-- 
  Taketoshi Sano: <sano@debian.org>,<sano@debian.or.jp>,<kgh12351@nifty.ne.jp>