SparkyLinux Forums

Development => Suggestions => Topic started by: olagarde on January 27, 2020, 12:40:13 AM

Title: Should CLI-specific live ISOs grub set nouveau.modeset=0, vga=normal?
Post by: olagarde on January 27, 2020, 12:40:13 AM
What:  Would it be valid to add grub kernel options for nouvea modeset and vga mode [that, if not applicable, should have no effect] to the minimalcli iso grub default and text-mode options so that the default and textmode boot options produce sane monitor modesets more often?  Ie., so that folks are less often surprised that a CLI / text-only live image tries to load a gfx driver and modeset with invalid or no res/timing?  How likely is this to create more problems than it solves?

Why:  in 5.10 minimalcli ISO, default and "text mode" grub entries both rely on auto-detecting monitor timings but do not modset restrict.  Not common (but "common enough?") results in linux_gfx_mode still being empty when grub expands the first menuoption, leading to the "unsupported input timing" or similar red herrings.  Adding {drv}.modeset=0 and vga=normal to kernel options of default or text-mode grub options works fine, and of course "failsafe" has these.  Given that this is specifically supposed to be a text-mode ISO, why not force the modeset to something more appropriate for text-mode?

Example:  burn sparkylinux-5.10-x86_64-minimalcli iso to usb, boot on box with a graphics card that correctly detects and is supported by nouveau, select top or text-mode grub option.  The nouveau module load and modeset usually appears 3 or 4 lines prior to monitor input mode switch.  Assuming a scenario where grub:linux_gfx_mode ends up being inappropriate the monitor will blank, drop to an unsupported res/timing, and carp on that.  Repeat but add kernel options to force modeset off and vga norm, and the resulting boot "looks normal", as I'd imagine most users new to SparkyLinux would expect.