Bug#389963: [Pkg-kbd-devel] Bug#389963: console-setup: Screen size is wrong

[Anton Zinoviev]

On Tue, Oct 03, 2006 at 09:35:53AM +0200, Thue Janus Kristensen wrote:
> 
> I just tested, and this is not true. Even after booting, the font size
> is still reset to size 16 when X is started and I then switch to a
> console.

On Tue, Oct 03, 2006 at 09:40:44AM +0200, Thue Janus Kristensen wrote:
>
> >Then try to see during the boot proces whether the font of
> >console-setup loades (the corresponding message should be "Setting
> >up console font and keymap").  Then try to see if this font remains
> >unchanged until X starts.  Return to the console immediately and
> >see if the font is already broken.
> 
> The font does load during boot.
> [...]
> As I can see the font is correct until X starts I assume this is the case.

So the font loads and right before X start the font is still OK but
immediately after Ctrl+Alt+F1 it is already broken and the last 2-3
lines are not visible?  If so, this means you are unlucky to use one
of the few X video drivers which do not respect the font on the
console.  I think that currently the non-free proprietary drivers are
more susceptible to this bug some of the free drivers are also buggy
from time to time.

If this is the case and you use a free driver feel free to send a bug
report to the X maintainers.

For now I can suggest you to use framebuffer.  This must solve the
problem.  You can test the framebuffer with the command

   modprobe vga16fb

(run it from the console, not from X).  If this works, add "vga16fb"
to /etc/modules.

This is a generic framebuffer module, try it first.  Depending on your
video adapter it is possible that the kernel has a module that suits
better the adapter, for example i810fb, intelfb, i2c-matroxfb,
radeonfb, nvidiafb, sisfb.  In order to try some of these modules the
console may not be already in framebuffer mode.  This means that if
"modprobe vga16fb" works and you want to try some of the other modules
you will have to reboot first.

Unfortunately I've heard that some of the proprietary drivers for the
X server do not work well with framebuffer (for example after
Ctrl+Alt+F1 the screen is blank and nothing is visible).

> Anyway, since the console does display the right characters once I
> have run setupcon then it indicates that the locale does exist.

Good point.

> kbd does have the init-script /etc/init.d/console-screen.kbd.sh ,
> which is run on start. But kbd is recommended by console-setup, and
> required by console-common, and so should not conflict with
> console-setup?

The script of kbd executes before the script of console-setup.

Anton Zinoviev