framebuffer support in 2.4.18 kernel sources

[Bret Comstock Waldow <bwaldow@compuserve.com>]

I am trying to get my Handspring Visor to work, running into a baffling
problem where the module loads, but the visor won't sync.

I thought perhaps I had a bad module and downloaded the 2.4.18 kernel
from the Debian archives (I read the FAQ and used the Debian way to do
things AFAIK).  I rebuilt the kernel successfully.

I can't find any option in the make xconfig to allow console framebuffer
support!  I have a T21 Thinkpad, and I'm using 128x48 console windows in
Redhat 7.3, and for that matter, in the install copy of Debian.  But not
in the kernel I compiled...

What am I missing?  I can't find any option to allow this - the choices
about framebuffers remain greyed out in xconfig.

??
Bret