mdacon has no scroll buffer? was: Re: [BL] BL2 won't print or scroll in console mode

Sindi Keesan keesan at iamjlamb.com
Sun Aug 15 18:29:23 EDT 2004


I got 54 emails from the linux-kernel list in 7 hours, including a Czech 
guy who responded to my request for help with mda-con, asking if my card 
is Hercules or generic.  Generic.  The others are mostly discussing 
patches and kernel 2.6.6.  Interesting if I could understand it.

I asked what portion of vgacon.c to copy over to mdacon.c so I could 
compile with scroll buffer.  Maybe it already has a buffer that works with 
the original Hercules card only?  There was some talk elsewhere about them 
not being quite the same.  

What a great community!

I need to set my spam filter to stop mails about patch or 2.6.

On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, Sindi Keesan wrote:

> > postings, then something from linux-kernel-org about improvements to 
> > vgacon such that it now has a scroll buffer (don't know which kernel 
> > number).  vgacon - vga console.  My lack of scroll was on a TTL monitor 
> > using mdacon.  I will try viewing in VGA.  I may be stuck using VGA online 
> > with Kermit if I want a scroll buffer.  DOS Kermit comes with its own 
> > buffer.  For linux they say to use the scrollbar, but that requires using 
> > X (and xterm or rxvt).  Shift-PgUp works in X (on other computers anyway, 
> > did not try here).
> 
> 
> As a test, I just plugged a 104-key keyboard into a two-monitor 
> computer with BL3 and used Shift-Page Up and Page Down to scroll 
> successfully in VGA mode.  It does NOT work in MDA (TTL,Hercules) mode.
> 
> Another online search found me a short discussion of mdacon at a
> linux-kernel mail list (three responses - why would anyone want to work on
> a module for hardware from the early 80s, they ask someone who improved
> his kernel code to work with later non-Herc cards), so I have subscribed
> and will ask list members if I can copy over code from vgacon.c to
> mdacon.c before attempting to compile my own kernel. This is nothing that
> a good course in C programming cannot fix (if I can manage to compile a
> kernel module, having flunked one for an ethernet card.)
> 
> BL2 is supposed to support old hardware so why not MDA?
> 
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