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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER>The Linux Console Project</H1>

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<p>

<H1>Charter and Objectives:</H1>

Our charter is to clean up and properly maintain the Linux console/TTY
sub system.  There has been scattered work on the console and TTY layer
going on for some time.  This project will try to pull it all together
into a coherent architecture from which we can generate clean patches
for Linus and the core kernel team.<p>

Right now the console subsystem and the subsystems that depend on
it have a couple of problems as well as some design issues which need
to be addressed for today's needs:

<ol>

<li>Terminal emulation is much too intertwined with the lower
    levels of the console implementation. Eventually terminal
    emulations should be loadable modules and/or easily replacable.<p>

<li>The various subsystems are intertwined with the console system.
    Things like the serial, framebuffer, and input layer should be
    able to exist independent of the console/TTY layer. Especially
    on embedded devices this is important.<p>

<li>The console system is too vga-centeric in design. We designed it
    to be more platform independent.<p>

<li>The built-in ANSI X3.64/ECMA-48 terminal emulation is incomplete
    and in some respects incorrect.<p>
</ol>

<H1> New Features:</H1>

<ul>
<li> Multi-desktop operation -- console instances running on multiple
     (possibly dissimilar) video cards and separate keyboards.
<li> With the new console locking mechanism the underlying drivers can
     be DMA/irq based for maximum speed.
<li> Much simpler framebuffer api. Plus with the new design it is possible
     to use framebuffer devices without a VT.
<li> The console system input system is based solely on the input api. This
     allows for things like a universal keymap. No more compiling in new
     keymaps for every type of different keyboard out there. Plus with this
     design it is possible to use a keyboard without the console system.
<li> New serial API. The serial layer is more like the parport layer now.
     Having to use the TTY layer for something like a serial mouse is
     plain silly. The idea is to create a basic serial API and register
     device interfaces. For a modem you would want to register a TTY interface
     whereas for a serial mouse or joystick we would want to register an
     interface for the input api.
<li> Support for hot plug. We can add or remove graphics cards or even
     keyboards to create new desktop VTs.
<li> A scrollback buffer implemented in the console itself.
<li> Support for different fonts, and textmodes per VC.
<li> Better Unicode support. You will be able to display Kanji on the
     command line. Bidirectional support.
<li> Not really a part of the console system, force feedback is a important
     element to the input layer that this project is also working.
</ul>

<H1>Project Status and News:</H1>

Development is moving fast. Since we cover a lot of areas of the linux kernel
we have separate links to pages that have developments in each different
sub system<p>

<a href="input/input.html">Input API</a>

<H1>Getting Involved</H1>

So you like to try out this new system or even better yet contribute. If you'd
like to give it a try <a href="quick.html">click here</a> for instructions.

Once you try it out we know you will have questions or just want to tell
your experiences we have a public development mailing list. Also our list
is archived. If you like to join follow this <a
href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/linuxconsole-dev">link</a>.

Now if you like to get your hands dirty and get invloved I recommend joining our
<a href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/linuxconsole-commit">CVS
commit mailing list</a>. Here you will see all the changes going on. A must
for developers and a great way to learn how the new TTY/console layer works.
Plus each page for subscribing has a link to the mailing list archives.<p>

Last but not least is our <a href="http://sourceforge.net/project/?group_id=3063">SourceForge page</a>.<p>

<H1>Documentation:</H1>

    How to write a framebuffer driver using the <a href="fbdev/HOWTO/index.html">new api</a>.<p>
    How to start multiple locale XFree86 servers
    <a href="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree-Local-multi-user-HOWTO/">XFree-Local-multi-user-HOWTO</a>.<p>
    <a href="http://startx.times.lv">ruby-2.4</a> backport with documentation.<p>
<p>

<H1>People:</H1>

<dl>
<dt> <a href="mailto:jsimmons@transvirtual.com">James Simmons</a>
<dd> Project admin on SourceForge. The release master.
     Developing the new fbdev API, multihead support, and the
     core console code.<p>

<dt><a href="vojtech@suse.cz">Vojtech Pavlik</a>
<dd> Co-Maintainer of this project. Developing the input API and
     writing most of the core input drivers.<p>

<dt><a href="mailto:dominik.kubla@uni-mainz.de">Dominik Kubla</a>
<dd> Wrote the ANSI/ECMA-48 terminal emulation code and designed
     the terminal emulation modular design.<p>

<dt><a href="mailto:esr@thyrsus.com">Eric S. Raymond</a>
<dd> Worked with Dominik to develop better terminal emulation. Interested
     in terminfo and ANSI conformance. (Eric maintains the master
     terminfo file.)<p>

<dd>And many others who have put time in and helped develop various parts
    of the code. Thank you.<p>
</dl>

<H1>Related Resources:</H1>

<ul>
<li>The <a href="http://www.linux-fbdev.org">Framebuffer</a> Homepage.<p>

<li>Dominik Kubla's
<a href="http://www-klinik.uni-mainz.de/staff/kubla/Linux/">emulation patches</a>;
these are the basis of our terminal emulation code.<p>

<li>Vojtech Pavlik's <a
href="http://www.suse.cz/development/input">input drivers</a>, a
previous effort in this direction which we have integrated.<p>

<li>The <a
href="http://www.frogmouth.net/hid-doco/linux-hid.html">Linux USB HID
</a> document has information about the event device and ioctls.<p>

<li>
EvStack, another previous attempt associated with the GGI project.
There is a <a href="http://zhrodague.net/~jmcc/ggi/EvStack">home
site</a>; you can also browse some <a
href="http://zhrodague.net/~jmcc/ggi/EvStack/paper/">documentation</a>
describing their architecture and approach.<p>

<li>Steffen Seeger tells us that his
<a href="http://kgi.sourceforge.net">KGI implementation</a>
tries to carry forward some of the EvStack ideas while being `less
invasive'.<p>

<li><a href="mailto:Andries.Brouwer@cwi.nl">Andries Brouwer</a>
maintains the Linux kernel keyboard support and kbd tools.<p>

<li>The <a href="http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/terminfo">terminfo/termcap</a>
home page.<p>

<li>The <a href="http://vt100.net">VT Terminal Information</a> site.
These people have the VT220 reference manual online.<p>

<li>The
<a href="ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/dickey/vttest/vttest.tar.gz">vttest</a>
program tests an emulations's conformance to a VT100.<p>
</ul>

<HR>
<ADDRESS>James Simmons <A HREF="mailto:jsimmons@transvirtual.com">&lt;jsimmons@transvirtual.com&gt;</A></ADDRESS>
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