[linux-fbdev] Re: vm86 in kernel [was: vesafb...]

[Aki M Laukkanen]

[Should this be on linux-fbdev only?]

On Tue, 25 Jan 2000, James A Simmons wrote: 
> No!!!  Don't let user land have access to mode setting registers for video
> cards. A rogue app could fry a monitor by miss programming the CRTC
> register on purpose. 

We are not talking about any miscellaneous user-land process but the
vesafb daemon which could set modes via VBE, svgalib or XFree4.

> First you missed the point fo fbdev. It's to abstract mode setting. The
> server doesn't need to know about the video hardware. Mode setting for
> fbdev is done by opening /dev/fb and calling the set var ioctl call. As

Currently it's a sad state of fact that a large portion of the cards are
not supported under fbdev. This is why we had vesafb in the first place
and the plan is to extend this facility. Of course the goal should be to
write chipset specific drivers in the kernel but in the mean time, a lot
of other cards could be supported.


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