X colors wonky after console switch

[Mike Spencer]

I do a text login, startx from keyboard, twm from ~/.xinitrc

After a complete Slack 15 install (except no KDE):

+ X starts and works as expected

+ CTRL-ALT-F[2-6] goes to a console that works as expected.

+ ALT-F7 does *not* return me to X. ALT-F1 returns me to X
instead of the console screen from which startx was run.

+ When X returns, colors are a horrible, unusable mess.

Restarting twm with its icon manager option doesn't fix it.

Killing gpm (that I don't want anyhow) doesn't fix it.

Only exiting X and doing startx again fixes it.

I don't understand what I see happening in Xorg.0.log. Is that a clue?
What is that about VESA mode when returning to X from console?


Help? Any suggestions?




Some system data and log lines appended below.


- Mike

--- System data ---

AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 245 Processor

VGA compatible controller
RS780L [Radeon 3000]
Hynix Semiconductor (Hyundai Electronics)

Lilo has:

append=" vt.default_utf8=0 nomodeset"
vga = normal

xorg.conf

/etc/X11/xorg.conf-vesa exists and contains:

Section "Device"
Identifier "VESA Framebuffer"
Driver "vesa"
EndSection

/etc/X11/xorg.conf doesn't exist.


--------------
Lines that appeared in Xorg.0.log (tail -f via a remote login)
after the switch and return

Console switch:

event1 - Power Button: device removed
event0 - Power Button: device removed
event7 - USB Optical Mouse: device removed
event8 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard: device removed
event9 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard System Control: device removed
event10 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard Consumer Control: device removed

Return to X (F1, not F7)

Open ACPI successful (/var/run/acpid.socket)
VESA(0): Setting up VESA Mode 0x146 (1400x1050)
event1 - Power Button: is tagged by udev as: Keyboard
event1 - Power Button: device is a keyboard
event0 - Power Button: is tagged by udev as: Keyboard
event0 - Power Button: device is a keyboard
event7 - USB Optical Mouse: is tagged by udev as: Mouse
event7 - USB Optical Mouse: device is a pointer
event8 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard: is tagged by udev as: Keyboard
event8 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard: device is a keyboard
event9 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard System Control: is tagged by udev as: Keyboard
event9 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard System Control: device is a keyboard
event10 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard Consumer Control: is tagged by udev as: Keyboard
event10 - NOVATEK USB Keyboard Consumer Control: device is a keyboard

-----------


--
Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada

[Henrik Carlqvist]

On Mon, 13 Feb 2023 01:44:43 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:
> Lilo has:
>
> append=" vt.default_utf8=0 nomodeset"
> vga = normal

If you feel comfortable using some kind of rescue media to fix lilo if
something goes wrong, I would start by trying to remove nomodeset, rerun
lilo and see if that helps.

> /etc/X11/xorg.conf-vesa exists and contains:

That file is not used, but any files in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d are used.
Maybe it would help to switch graphics driver to ati. (see man ati)

> VESA(0): Setting up VESA Mode 0x146 (1400x1050)

However, the fact that X did choose the vesa driver might mean that none
of the ati drivers work with your card.

regards Henrik

[Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood]

Groovy hepcat Mike Spencer was jivin' in alt.os.linux.slackware on Mon,
13 Feb 2023 04:44 pm. It's a cool scene! Dig it.

> I do a text login, startx from keyboard, twm from ~/.xinitrc
>
> After a complete Slack 15 install (except no KDE):
>
> + X starts and works as expected
>
> + CTRL-ALT-F[2-6] goes to a console that works as expected.
>
> + ALT-F7 does *not* return me to X. ALT-F1 returns me to X
> instead of the console screen from which startx was run.
>
> + When X returns, colors are a horrible, unusable mess.
>
> Restarting twm with its icon manager option doesn't fix it.
>
> Killing gpm (that I don't want anyhow) doesn't fix it.

That's a text mode mouse driver. Why did you think killing it would
fix X?
And if you don't want it, why are you running it?

> Only exiting X and doing startx again fixes it.
>
> I don't understand what I see happening in Xorg.0.log. Is that a clue?

How should we know? You haven't shown us what you are seeing there,
except for a few lines about input devices. (See below.)

> What is that about VESA mode when returning to X from console?
>
> Help? Any suggestions?

Yes; show us Xorg.0.log - the whole thing. We're not mind readers,
y'know.

All I'm seeing here are messages about input devices. There's no clue
on why your colours are messed up.

--


----- Dig the NEW and IMPROVED news sig!! -----


-------------- Shaggy was here! ---------------
Ain't I'm a dawg!!

[Mike Spencer]

Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.C...@deadspam.com> writes:

> On Mon, 13 Feb 2023 01:44:43 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:
>
>> Lilo has:
>>
>> append=" vt.default_utf8=0 nomodeset"
>> vga = normal
>
> If you feel comfortable using some kind of rescue media to fix lilo if

> something goes wrong...

Not a worry, booted fine before I added nomodeset, but...

> I would start by trying to remove nomodeset, rerun lilo and see if
> that helps.

There was a warning in dmesg that nomodeset might mess up video.

But Slack 14.1 and 14.2 (and now 15) start up with normal console text,
then switch to a teeny-tiny font half way through boot sequence. One of:

append=" vt.default_utf8=0 nomodeset"
append=" nomodeset"

fixed that with no effect (in 14.[12]) on X or console switching.

Did as you suggest.

Yes, omitting nomodeset from lilo fixes the weird X colors
after return from switch and (apparently) X is getting the screen res
correct.

But all consoles are in tiny type.

With nomdeswitch: Consoles usable but then trashes X

Without nomdeswitch: Consoles unusable

I'll be 81 this month, can't be using a jeweler's loupe to read the
screen.




So now I need further advice on suppressing the switch to tiny
console font.

[Mike Spencer]

Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood <phay...@alphalink.com.au> writes:

> Groovy hepcat Mike Spencer was jivin' in alt.os.linux.slackware on Mon,
> 13 Feb 2023 04:44 pm. It's a cool scene! Dig it.
>
>> I do a text login, startx from keyboard, twm from ~/.xinitrc
>>
>> After a complete Slack 15 install (except no KDE):
>>
>> + X starts and works as expected
>>
>> + CTRL-ALT-F[2-6] goes to a console that works as expected.
>>
>> + ALT-F7 does *not* return me to X. ALT-F1 returns me to X
>> instead of the console screen from which startx was run.
>>
>> + When X returns, colors are a horrible, unusable mess.
>>
>> Restarting twm with its icon manager option doesn't fix it.
>>
>> Killing gpm (that I don't want anyhow) doesn't fix it.
>
> That's a text mode mouse driver. Why did you think killing it would
> fix X?

Because the gpm manpage says it may interfere with X.

> And if you don't want it, why are you running it?

Because an oversight at install left /etc/rc.d/rc.gpm executable.

>> I don't understand what I see happening in Xorg.0.log. Is that a clue?
>
> How should we know? You haven't shown us what you are seeing there,
> except for a few lines about input devices. (See below.)

Those are the lines that appeared after console switch and return,

>> What is that about VESA mode when returning to X from console?
>

> Yes; show us Xorg.0.log - the whole thing. We're not mind readers,
> y'know.

I'll defer dumping a 100K file to the group for now. Eliminating
kernel param nomodeset from lilo.conf fixes the X color mess but
reverts all consoles to tiny, unreadable type.

If there's solution to the teeny console font, I'm good.

If not, I'll post the Xorg log in full and ping you to look at it.
It's long because with nomodeset, it appears that X spends a lot of
effort looking for a vesa mode it likes without complete success.
Interpreting Xorg.log is above my pay grade.

[Rich]

Mike Spencer <m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
> But all consoles are in tiny type.
>
> With nomdeswitch: Consoles usable but then trashes X
>
> Without nomdeswitch: Consoles unusable
>
> I'll be 81 this month, can't be using a jeweler's loupe to read the
> screen.
>
> So now I need further advice on suppressing the switch to tiny
> console font.

Try what is suggested here:

https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/console-terminus-font-size-4175489795/

[John Forkosh]

Rich <ri...@example.invalid> wrote:
> Mike Spencer <m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>>
>> But all consoles are in tiny type.
>> With nomdeswitch: Consoles usable but then trashes X
>> Without nomdeswitch: Consoles unusable
>>
>> I'll be 81 this month, can't be using a jeweler's loupe
>> to read the screen.
>>

Happy Birthday.

>>
>> So now I need further advice on suppressing the switch
>> to tiny console font.

> Try what is suggested here:
> https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/
> console-terminus-font-size-4175489795/

I had the identical problem, eventually solved differently...
in directory /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ place a file named
11-monitor.conf
containing the four lines...

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "HDMI-3"
Option "PreferredMode" "2560x1440"
EndSection

...replacing "HDMI-3" with your connected video port,
and "2560x1440" with your preferred mode, from the available modes.
Both can be determined by just running xrandr without any args.
I've found this method to work portably and flawlessly on all
my various linux boxes, and all recent slack versions.
--
John Forkosh ( mailto: j...@f.com where j=john and f=forkosh )

[Rich]

John Forkosh <for...@panix.com> wrote:
> Rich <ri...@example.invalid> wrote:
>> Mike Spencer <m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>>> So now I need further advice on suppressing the switch to tiny
>>> console font.
>
>> Try what is suggested here:
>> https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/
>> console-terminus-font-size-4175489795/
>
> I had the identical problem, eventually solved differently...
> in directory /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ place a file named
> 11-monitor.conf
> containing the four lines...
>
> Section "Monitor"
> Identifier "HDMI-3"
> Option "PreferredMode" "2560x1440"
> EndSection
>

That adjusts the video mode that X uses when it is running.

The OP is referring to the video mode used by the text consoles (i.e.,
no X is running).

[Javier]

May I ask what is your reason to go back to console? I used to go
back to console 20 years ago when I wanted to fill the full screen
with text, but stopped doing that when I realized that I could do the
same by running Xterm in full screen mode, i.e.

xterm -fullscreen

You can also switch on and off fullscreen mode inside xterm with Alt-Enter.

Sometimes I have some reason for going back to the console, like when
X is non responsive and i want to kill an X program from the console,
but other than that, the console gets very little use nowadays.

[Mike Spencer]

Javier <inv...@invalid.invalid> writes:

> May I ask what is your reason to go back to console?

> ...

> Sometimes I have some reason for going back to the console, like when
> X is non responsive and i want to kill an X program from the console,
> but other than that, the console gets very little use nowadays.

I use it rarely but it's one of those things tha's supposed to work
"like we always done it" but halfway through bootup it becomes
unusable.

Fond a workaround. See another post that I'm about to make in reply
to someone else's suggestions.

[Mike Spencer]

Oh, good, setfont(8). That never came up when I was groveling through
the net for a solution before. Did it exist in Slackware 14.1? I see
it's in 14.2 but when the tiny-font problem arose in 14.2, I went with
the already proven nomodeswitch solution.

There are ter-* fonts large enough to be usable, if not quite as large
as the basic terminal font. And putting ter-232b in /etc/rc.d/rc.font
avoids having to manually set it.

So I'm good, TYVM.

I have a notion: Could I boot the machine with nomodeswitch in effect,
use the setfont -o option to save $WHATEVER_IT_IS that is the default
font to a file, do lilo again w/o nomodeswitch to revert to the
unmangled X state, then use setfont to load $WHATEVER_IT_IS from the
file? Experiment deferred while I do battle with more important snags
in the new 15 setup.

Tnx,

[Mike Spencer]

John Forkosh <for...@panix.com> writes:

> Rich <ri...@example.invalid> wrote:
>> Mike Spencer <m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>>>
>>> But all consoles are in tiny type.
>>> With nomdeswitch: Consoles usable but then trashes X
>>> Without nomdeswitch: Consoles unusable
>>>
>>> I'll be 81 this month, can't be using a jeweler's loupe
>>> to read the screen.
>
> Happy Birthday.

Thank you! Gots to get the new-machine Slack 15 setup working so I
have time and energy to make the chocolate layer cake for the Big Day
in a fortnight. :-)

>>> So now I need further advice on suppressing the switch
>>> to tiny console font.
>
>> Try what is suggested here:
>> https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/
>> console-terminus-font-size-4175489795/

setfont(8) and /etc/rc.d/rc.font seem to have fixed me up adequately
if not ideally.

> I had the identical problem, eventually solved differently...
> in directory /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ place a file named
> 11-monitor.conf
> containing the four lines...
>
> Section "Monitor"
> Identifier "HDMI-3"
> Option "PreferredMode" "2560x1440"
> EndSection
>
> ...replacing "HDMI-3" with your connected video port,
> and "2560x1440" with your preferred mode, from the available modes.
> Both can be determined by just running xrandr without any args.
> I've found this method to work portably and flawlessly on all
> my various linux boxes, and all recent slack versions.

Tnx. Saved for future reference. Ghod, setting up a new system would
be utterly demoralizing if I didn't have pages and pages of such squibs,
notes and references saved from previous head-butting-with-tech episodes.

[Rich]

Mike Spencer <m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>
> Rich <ri...@example.invalid> writes:
>
>> Mike Spencer <m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>>
>>> But all consoles are in tiny type.
>>>
>>> With nomdeswitch: Consoles usable but then trashes X
>>> Without nomdeswitch: Consoles unusable
>>>
>>> I'll be 81 this month, can't be using a jeweler's loupe to read the
>>> screen.
>>>
>>> So now I need further advice on suppressing the switch to tiny
>>> console font.
>>
>> Try what is suggested here:
>>
>> https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/console-terminus-font-size-4175489795/
>
> Oh, good, setfont(8). That never came up when I was groveling through
> the net for a solution before. Did it exist in Slackware 14.1?

It (setfont) existed at least as far back as 10.2. Beyond that I can
not say.

> I see it's in 14.2 but when the tiny-font problem arose in 14.2, I
> went with the already proven nomodeswitch solution.

Newer kernels, once the kernel became the "mode setter" began changing
out of standard VGA 80x25 text mode into the "smaller font" viewing
modes. I can't say how far back in time this was (have long since
forgotten when it began).

> I have a notion: Could I boot the machine with nomodeswitch in
> effect, use the setfont -o option to save $WHATEVER_IT_IS that is the
> default font to a file, do lilo again w/o nomodeswitch to revert to
> the unmangled X state, then use setfont to load $WHATEVER_IT_IS from
> the file? Experiment deferred while I do battle with more important
> snags in the new 15 setup.

On that I don't know. Give it a try and see.

[Rich]

Mike Spencer <m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>
> Javier <inv...@invalid.invalid> writes:
>
>> May I ask what is your reason to go back to console?
>> ...
>> Sometimes I have some reason for going back to the console, like when
>> X is non responsive and i want to kill an X program from the console,
>> but other than that, the console gets very little use nowadays.
>
> I use it rarely but it's one of those things tha's supposed to work
> "like we always done it" but halfway through bootup it becomes
> unusable.

That 'halfway' point is where the kernel takes over control of the
video hardware, and the kernel default is for a mode other than old
standard VGA 80x25 text mode.

[Henrik Carlqvist]

On Tue, 14 Feb 2023 23:25:24 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:
> it's one of those things tha's supposed to work
> "like we always done it"

Rather recently the console got a little less useful as the kernel no
longer supports scrollback functionality (shift-pgUp) of the console.

regards Henrik