Re: any pages listing text mode resolutions of video cards?

["Daniel B." <dsb@smart.net>]

Kevin,

Kevin Mark wrote:
> On Sun, Nov 11, 2007 at 10:46:53PM -0500, Daniel B. wrote:
> > I've been having trouble finding out the text-mode resolutions of
> > video cards.  Does anyone know of a good compilation of that
> > information?
> >
> > Relatedly, are they any good tutorials on switching from using
> > hardware text-mode for non-X virtual consoles to using ... um ...
> > whatever the name is of the feature of having textual virtual
> > consoles generated using hardware graphics mode?
> Are you talking about 'frame buffer' programs? fbxine, fbi, ...

Yeah, "frame buffer" is the term I've heard.  Thanks.

Does using frame buffers let the kernel provide (text-mode) virtual
consoles using the video hardware's graphics mode (that is, the
kernel tells the hardware what pixels to display, as opposed to
telling it only what characters to display)?

I take it frame buffer mode lets one use any text resolution that
"fits" within the video card's full graphics resolution?


Is there a good starting point in the assorted Debian and Linux
documentation for trying frame-buffer mode?



> And setting vga=771 or similar in your kernel options?

Yes.  I've been using vga=10 in my kernel options (via LILO) to set
the virtual console text mode resolution at boot time.

I was using 132x60 on my old video card (a Diamond Viper 330/nVidia
RIVA TNT2 AGP card).  (Yeah, yeah; I know; it's ancient.)

I bought a new, basic video card (an ATI Radeon Rage XL PCI card).
(Hey, I did write "basic.")

(In Windows, the driver for the old card seems to be causing
problems (severe file system corruption), and there doesn't seem to
be a newer version of the driver, so I bought another, different
video card, hoping that the new card's driver wouldn't have the
same problem.)

Unfortunately, the new card's text modes only go up to 132x44
(losing me 25% of the virtual console height I'm used to).


That's why I was asking about where to find the text-mode
resolutions of cards (in case I want to buy a different card that
handles at least the resolution I had).


Of course, if using frame-buffer-based virtual consoles provides the
text mode, I don't have to care about the video card's text modes.

How slow is frame-buffer mode?  I think I tried it a couple years
ago and it was noticeably slow enough that I went back to hardware
text modes.

(Yes, my CPU is old (relatively slow) too right now.)


Thanks,
Daniel
--
Daniel B.
dsb@smart.net