Proposal: Replacement for VISUALUSERCONFIG (was: Re: Need to update man section 4!)
We can manipulate device hints and loader/kernel environment variables in /boot/device.hints by the set/unset/show commands in the boot loader(8). This corresponds to what we used to do in the USERCONFIG menu in the kernel. I think it may be a good idea to have visual (or friendly?) interface to manipulate the device hints (and other loader variables) in the boot loader, just like the VISUALUSERCONFIG front-end, for novice users and those who are not quite familiar with the boot loader commands. If we are to have this facility in the boot loader, we can get rid of USERCONFIG and VISUALUSERCONFIG from the kernel :-) I wrote an experimental patch to the boot loader. You can find it at: ftp://people.freebsd.org/~yokota/vuserconfig.tar.gz It includes: vuserconfig.diff patch for /sys/boot/common/Makefile.inc and /sys/boot/i386/libi386/vidconsole.c vuseconfig.c put this in /sys/boot/common hints.diffpatch for /sys/i386/conf/GENERIC.hints (and /boot/device.hints) to add some descriptive strings for device drivers Rebuild the loader. Type userconfig at the loader prompt, then you will be in this VISUALUSERCONFIG-like front-end. Use TAB, ENTER, and cursor keys to navigate. Type 'Q' to quit, and you will be put back to the loader prompt. Some notes: - I don't intend to do everything in this front-end. It provides just a simple interface to set/reset/edit device hints and other variables. - This front-end is not an exact clone of VISUALUSERCONFIG. But the basic idea is the same. - Maybe I should have written this in Forth, rather than in C. But, I have almost nil knowledge of Forth. - One big drawback: this will bloat the boot loader and will consume precious disk space in kern.flp... *sigh* I welcome any comments, suggestions, and ideas. Thank you, Kazu In my previous post, I wrote: Thank you for your comments. The User Config menu is completely disabled and isn't available in -CURRENT now. I strongly doubt it will ever come back. You see, we can now set/unset/edit device resource hints from the loader(8) prompt, thus, there is little need to have the old User Config menu compiled into the kernel. Please also have a look at my draft on the man page for device.hints(5). http://people.freebsd.org/~yokota/device.hints.5 The only thing which were available in the User Config, but is not in the loader(8) is the Visual User Config option. But, I expect such visual front-end to edit the device resource hints can be added to the loader, in one way or another. Kazu To Unsubscribe: send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with unsubscribe freebsd-current in the body of the message
Re: Proposal: Replacement for VISUALUSERCONFIG (was: Re: Need to update man section 4!)
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kazutaka YOKOTA writes: : - One big drawback: this will bloat the boot loader and will consume : precious disk space in kern.flp... *sigh* This is the only downside to the work that you've done. Sometimes I think we'd get more boot loader maintainers if we had LISP in the loader :-) Then again, maybe not... Warner To Unsubscribe: send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with unsubscribe freebsd-current in the body of the message
Re: Proposal: Replacement for VISUALUSERCONFIG (was: Re: Need to update man section 4!)
On Sun, Oct 07, 2001 at 10:07:33AM -0600, Warner Losh wrote: In message [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kazutaka YOKOTA writes: : - One big drawback: this will bloat the boot loader and will consume : precious disk space in kern.flp... *sigh* This is the only downside to the work that you've done. Sometimes I think we'd get more boot loader maintainers if we had LISP in the loader :-) Then again, maybe not... FWIW: everything that bloats the loader tends to break the alpha port. Caveat empor.. -- | / o / /_ _ email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] |/|/ / / /( (_) Bulte Arnhem, The Netherlands To Unsubscribe: send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with unsubscribe freebsd-current in the body of the message
Re: Need to update man section 4!
Thank you for your comments. The User Config menu is completely disabled and isn't available in -CURRENT now. I strongly doubt it will ever come back. You see, we can now set/unset/edit device resource hints from the loader(8) prompt, thus, there is little need to have the old User Config menu compiled into the kernel. Please also have a look at my draft on the man page for device.hints(5). http://people.freebsd.org/~yokota/device.hints.5 The only thing which were available in the User Config, but is not in the loader(8) is the Visual User Config option. But, I expect such visual front-end to edit the device resource hints can be added to the loader, in one way or another. Kazu Please have a look at my preliminary patch at http://people.freebsd.org/~yokota/man4update.diff Very nice work! Especially all the references to hints. Must have taken quite some time. Thank you :) In the atkbd.4 manpage you changed a part in: The .Nm -driver accepts the following driver flags. They can be set either in the -kernel configuration file -(see -.Xr config 8 ) , -or else in the User Configuration Menu at boot time +driver accepts the following driver flags. +They can be set either in +.Pa /boot/device.hints , +or else from within the boot loader (see -.Xr boot 8 ) . +.Xr loader 8 ) . Same thing can also be found at psm.4, syscons.4, matcd.4 Since both the User Configuration menu can be used (provided that support has been compiled in the kernel) do you think you could mention both somehow? Or is this not really necessary? To Unsubscribe: send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with unsubscribe freebsd-current in the body of the message
