Changing Console Video Modes

[Edward Ruggeri]

On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 2:55 PM, Joshua Isom <jrisom at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Apr 20, 2008, at 9:28 PM, Edward Ruggeri wrote:
>
>
> > I'm just reading through the manual for FreeBSD, and I am at section
> > 3.2.6 "Changing Console Video Modes."  This discusses how to change
> > the default console resolution.  I would try this out, but as I can
> > only access my FreeBSD box remotely at the moment, I am hesitant to
> > recompile the kernel with the necessary options (I currently get an
> > error when running "#vidcontrol -i mode": "getting active vty:
> > Inappropriate ioctl for device".  I assume this is because the current
> > kernel is insufficient?).  I'm afraid my computer might need to be
> > booted by hand, which I wouldn't be able to do.
> >
> > In any case, lacking the ability to experiment, I am curious about
> > different video modes.  Will greater resolutions allow me to fit more
> > text on the screen in the console?  Of course I know (maybe less than
> > I think) about resolution in terms of graphical environments (e.g.,
> > can see more of a high-resolution image w/ a greater resolution), but
> > is it the same for text?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > -- Ned Ruggeri
> >
>
>  Don't forget to use i386 instead of amd64, since those higher resolutions
> are vesa modes(I also don't think you can get any widescreen resolutions)
> and amd64 can't access the vesa instructions.  You might be able to try
> hacking the loader and change resolutions there but I don't know if it would
> stay that way through boot or what effect X windows would have.
>
>  You could just try a fullscreen xterm.  Using evilwm it can give you the
> look of a console with a higher resolution.

On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 2:55 PM, Joshua Isom <jrisom at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Apr 20, 2008, at 9:28 PM, Edward Ruggeri wrote:
>
>
> > I'm just reading through the manual for FreeBSD, and I am at section
> > 3.2.6 "Changing Console Video Modes."  This discusses how to change
> > the default console resolution.  I would try this out, but as I can
> > only access my FreeBSD box remotely at the moment, I am hesitant to
> > recompile the kernel with the necessary options (I currently get an
> > error when running "#vidcontrol -i mode": "getting active vty:
> > Inappropriate ioctl for device".  I assume this is because the current
> > kernel is insufficient?).  I'm afraid my computer might need to be
> > booted by hand, which I wouldn't be able to do.
> >
> > In any case, lacking the ability to experiment, I am curious about
> > different video modes.  Will greater resolutions allow me to fit more
> > text on the screen in the console?  Of course I know (maybe less than
> > I think) about resolution in terms of graphical environments (e.g.,
> > can see more of a high-resolution image w/ a greater resolution), but
> > is it the same for text?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > -- Ned Ruggeri
> >
>
>  Don't forget to use i386 instead of amd64, since those higher resolutions
> are vesa modes(I also don't think you can get any widescreen resolutions)
> and amd64 can't access the vesa instructions.  You might be able to try
> hacking the loader and change resolutions there but I don't know if it would
> stay that way through boot or what effect X windows would have.
>
>  You could just try a fullscreen xterm.  Using evilwm it can give you the
> look of a console with a higher resolution.

Interesting; I'll have to try that.

Thank you everyone for the information!