Re: ubuntu and text boot with grub2

[Felix Miata]

On 2012/04/16 21:58 (GMT-0400) Chris Jones composed:

> Felix Miata wrote:

> >  *buntu seems intent on using the display's preferred mode instead of
> >  mine. *buntu has always been a major PITA to get decent tty text on,
> >  again, unlike in rpm distros I have used or do use. But at least I do
> >  get to see boot messages that look like text, even if illegible.

> If you feel that the font is too small, why change the ‘resolution’..?
> Wouldn't it make better sense to stick with your display's native
> resolution and use a bigger font..?

Probably for most users, but I'm not most users. I have 30+ multiboot 
machines used for testing devel distros and web sites. I connect them mostly 
to CRTs of various sizes and supported resolutions at various viewing 
distances. So, from one boot to the next there's no predicting any 
correlation between preferred mode and usable or required mode that might be 
pre-configured.

With Grub Legacy, older and/or non-*buntu/debian kernels, and legacy initrds, 
it is a simple matter to adjust cmdline to suit the hardware and conditions 
of the moment to boot into runlevel 3, tweak a file in /etc/X11 for 
resolution and/or DPI if necessary, then startx or switch to runlevel 5 to 
find the desktop already usably configured. I know what resolution and/or 
framebuffer mode is required for particular combinations to result in the 
default console font being a good size. Some distros even have a gfxmenu that 
puts the cursor on the cmdline options line in edit mode.

Grub2/*buntu have done a fine job making that kind of tweaking virtually if 
not totally impossible. In 11.10 it even has a menu driven tool for 
configuring boot that creates cmdline config options that don't produce 
selected results, and create a flash of error messages on execution that 
disappear too quickly to be read.
--
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/