Subject: Re: DDB vs Freeze
To: Jason Thorpe <>
From: David Brownlee <>
List: current-users
Date: 01/28/2000 00:00:21
On Thu, 27 Jan 2000, Jason Thorpe wrote:

>  > Would it be reasonable for the code that gets into DDB to get linked 
>  > up with the display driver (if there is one on the box) and do something 
>  > simple but conspicuous like video reversal to indicate that you are 
>  > in DDB rather than hung? 
> If we were able to do that on a PC, we'd be able to drop you back into
> text mode.
> The problem is that the kernel hasn't any idea how to get PC video
> cards into/out of graphics mode (because there are ... so many different
> ways...)
	Presumably there is no way to reset graphics cards and get them
	to come up in text mode?

	Is there any way you can call into the X server to try to switch
	back into text mode in the same way the console driver does
	(or even provide a specific callback) - obviously if you are
	in DDB you're probably hosed and this could just make it worse,
	but if you know you are in graphics mode then if it could get
	you out 80% of the time it would be a win... (as a compilable
	in/out option :)