Linux Gets Kernel-Based Modesetting

An anonymous reader writes "Next month when Fedora 9 is released it will be the first Linux distribution with support for kernel mode-setting, which is (surprisingly) a feature end-users should take note over. Kernel-based modesetting provides a flicker-free boot process, faster and more reliable VT switching, a Linux BSOD, and of most interest is much-improved suspend/resume support! The process of moving the modesetting code from the X.Org video driver into the Linux kernel isn't easy, but it should become official with the Linux 2.6.27 kernel, and the Intel video driver can already use this technology. Phoronix has a preview of kernel-based modesetting covering more of this new Linux feature accompanied by videos showing the dramatic improvements in virtual terminal switching."

Comments

Re:KGI, only much later and missing some features.

[jd]

KGI was a damn good system - somewhat overshaddowed by GGI and other similar efforts, though, as the argument of the time was that the kernel shouldn't do what userspace can do. KGI might have stood a better chance if development had been faster, or some significant card could not be made to work correctly in userspace, or there was a demonstrable vulnerability implied.

As I recall, there was also the arument that grahics in the kernel risked instability that would impact the system and be hard to trace. I can sympathize with this argument a bit more, but in the end it is true of all hardware drivers - hence the efforts of microkernel and exokernel developers to move such stuff into isolatable containers. It's a good idea, not terribly efficient because of all the message passing, but I can understand the reasoning.