[ltp] Changing console font

[Marius Gedminas]

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On Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 12:56:46PM -0400, Haines Brown wrote:
> I'm running sidux on a Thinkpad X61s, but am quite new to laptops.=20
>=20
> As a power-saving measure, it strikes me that I would gain from
> working from a console rather than start the X server.=20

I would be very interested to see what actual numbers you can report
comparing, say, full-screen xterm with the console.  You can get the
power usage with powertop (or from /proc/acpi/battery).

> Generally I can
> run the apps I need and do useful work from console, but the default
> font is rather challenging in that it is too small and grey ("white")
> rather than "bright white". On my desktop the console is fine, but the
> small screen of the Thinkpad is a serious challenge.

Do measure the power usage, and look at what other advice powertop gives
you.  It may turn out that avoiding X is not the best way to save power,
and not worth the inconvenience.

> I've done some reading about consolechars, but frankly it goes over my
> head, and I'm paranoid about killing all glyphs and end up being
> unable to recover. =20

That is unlikely.  I don't think you can actually do that, unless you
doctor up some font that has all blank characters somehow...  Also, you
can always press Ctrl+Alt+Del to reboot and get the default font back.

> Is there a simple howto or can anyone offer a straightforward set of
> directions for changing the default console font to something bigger
> and whiter (or even black on white background)?

Straightforward?  I doubt it...  There are too many options, most of
them limited by the hardware.  E.g. if you're not loading a kernel
framebuffer module, you're limited to the legacy VGA text mode that
supports only fonts 8 pixels wide.  You can't make them bigger, unless,
of course, the display controller stretches the 80x25 mode to cover the
full screen instead of keeping them in a small rectangle in the middle.
Sometimes this stretching can be toggled by pressing Fn-F8.

Using the kernel framebuffer gives you more latitude in the font size, I
believe, but framebuffer drivers generally get less love and attention
than X video drivers, so hardware support is spotty.  Radeonfb woT23rked
nicely on my previous Thinkpad (with Radeon Mobility 7500), while
intelfb doesn't seem to support the new Intel GM965 chipset at all.

> Would someone recommend a console font that is very readable?

They all look ugly to me.  I prefer Andale Mono with subpixel rendering,
black on white.  This, of course, only works in X.

> Am I correct that such a change would also change the fonts used to
> display the boot process,

Well, the latter part of the boot process, once the script that changes
the font actually gets executed.  I don't believe you can easily change
the font used at the very beginning.

> but would have no effect whatsoever on apps
> running under X, such as a (fluxbox) window manager or graphical
> terminal emulators (xterm, rxvt, etc.)?=20

That's correct.

HTH,
Marius Gedminas
--=20
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy

Oh, and we just set fire to your desktop.

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