Re: Kernel thoughts of a Linux user

Tomas Carnecky
2004-11-24T11:34:00Z

Helge Hafting wrote:
>> From the [ruby patch] documentation:
>> The main problem up to this date (November 2004) is that linux kernel
>> has only one behaviour regarding multiple keyboards : any key pressed
>> catched on any keyboard is redirected to the one and only active
>> Virtual Terminal (VT).
>>
>> Will this be changed/improved when the console code is moved into
>> userspace, like some have proposed?
>
>
> I don't know about any userspace console, but the ruby patch lets
> you have several independent active VTs at the same time. So
> the above mentioned problem is solved - they keyboards does
> not interfere with each other.
>

I think the it would be much nicer to habe the console code in
userspace, ruby is only a patch, not in the mainline kernel, and AFAIK
not even in any experimental (-mm/-ac/-etc) tree.
There are many aproaches how to solve the problem of having more than
one ative VT, and the userspace console seems to be the nicest one.

I know that Jon Smirl wrote an email some time ago, here it is:
http://lkml.org/lkml/2004/8/2/111, look at point 15. I like the idea and
I've written him several times, but he didn't answer :(
Anyone knows what's happened with him?
I know he's involved in the DRM development, so I CC to the dri-devel list.

I'd really like to help with this, as I like and share his ideas.

Is anyone already working on this? I mean pulling the console code out
of the kernel into the userspace.

tom