Tiny Core Linux

Tiny Core Base => TCB Q&A Forum => Topic started by: gdstew on June 27, 2021, 03:15:44 PM

Title: replacement for console-setup
Post by: gdstew on June 27, 2021, 03:15:44 PM
Is there a replacement for console-setup for Tiny Core? Is it also available for Pi Core?
Title: Re: replacement for console-setup
Post by: Rich on June 27, 2021, 04:15:43 PM
Hi gdstew
When you say  "replacement for console-setup" , are you asking about a GUI? For Pi Core that would be  TC.tcz:
http://tinycorelinux.net/13.x/armv6/tcz/TC.tcz.info
Title: Re: replacement for console-setup
Post by: gdstew on June 28, 2021, 12:33:39 PM
Hi,

No, console-setup is used in Debian and its derivatives (I use Devuan, Linux Mint and Raspberry Pi OS) to set the font and screen parameters used by the non-GUI terminal console. In this case I want to use a
Raspberry Pi as a serial terminal concentrator for 4 or 8 serial ports using GNU screen and an older LCD display (1680 x 1050). To get up to 4 GNU screen "windows"  (two horizontal and two vertical) on this
monitor I need to be able to set the font size small enough to fit them on this monitor. The serial ports are provided by multi-port serial to USB converters.

I have done something similar to this with Raspberry Pi OS using console-setup and GNU screen for a single terminal emulator that has two screen resolution modes, 80 x 25, and whatever the full resolution screen
size and font selected by the OS is. A bash script selects which one is used during boot. While this does work Raspberry Pi OS takes nearly a minute to boot while PiCore takes less than 20 seconds so I would very
much like to switch to PiCore but I need to be able to at least set which font is used.
Title: Re: replacement for console-setup
Post by: Greg Erskine on June 28, 2021, 05:00:48 PM
No.
Title: Re: replacement for console-setup
Post by: Rich on June 28, 2021, 05:18:27 PM
Hi gdstew
...  using GNU screen ...
That is available.
Title: Re: replacement for console-setup
Post by: curaga on June 29, 2021, 01:37:11 AM
Also setfont (busybox or kbd) can be used to set the console font.
Title: Re: replacement for console-setup
Post by: gdstew on June 30, 2021, 02:41:51 PM
Greg,

A search of the forum found a few instances of console-setup in what looked like a Debian based Tiny Core(?) but that was the only place it showed up so I was
fairly certain that no was the answer. This is unfortunate as it is a really useful tool for user control of the console screen set up.

Rich,

if you mean GNU screen is available, I know. I have done some experimenting with Pi Core and GNU screen to determine how well it works for my application. In
general it works well, except for the fonts and screen size and as I said I really like the fast boot time. If you have something else I have missed please let me know.

curaga,

I will look into that, thanks.
Title: Re: replacement for console-setup
Post by: Greg Erskine on June 30, 2021, 05:05:06 PM
I don't know if fb fonts are relevant? Just in case...

When setting up screens on RPI's I add fbcon=map:10 fbcon=font:ProFont6x11 logo.nologo to the end of the first line in cmdline.txt

https://github.com/notro/fbtft/wiki/Boot-console

https://mjmwired.net/kernel/Documentation/fb/fbcon.txt
Title: Re: replacement for console-setup
Post by: PDP-8 on October 12, 2021, 06:55:16 PM
Yep, I know how handy that is.  I usually use it on debian-based boxes for having nice readable boot font sizes, and for when I switch to virtual terminals and don't want to have to set it every time.

sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

As a fan of terminus, I usually choose the terminus console fonts in different sizes.

But Curaga's solution works too.

I normally import terminus and other console fonts from another distro like Knoppix, and then use setfont to manually set it after login with *cores after some playing around to see what looks best.  Both for X11 and pure consoles.

Still doesn't solve the teeny-font during boot issues, so I just close my eyes during that moment and scour dmesg with the new fonts afterwards. :)