Package: svgatextmode (1.9-15)

enable higher resolution text modes

This program is designed to greatly improve the normal (EGA-based) text modes on your Linux machine. It uses an Xconfig-like configuration file to set up better looking text modes. (higher resolution, larger font size, higher display refresh...) This is already a big boon on normal 14" displays, and it is an immense difference on larger and better (15" and up) screens. It stems from the idea that it is a real waste of hardware to use EGA text modes on an SVGA-card, which was designed to do much better than that.

This package is mainly of use to people with older hardware that is not adequately supported by the Linux framebuffer drivers. If you abhor 80x25 text modes as much as I do but have a modern CPU and video hardware, then building a kernel with framebuffer support is probably a better option. Some newer video cards are not supported by this package at all (but are supported by the kernel fb drivers)

WARNING: This program will not work on non-VGA based systems. Installing it will not do any harm, but activating the program can.

Tags: System Administration: Configuration Tool, Hardware Enablement: Graphics and Video, User Interface: Command Line, Console SVGA, Role: Program, Scope: Utility, Purpose: Configuration, Works with: Text