> >
> > I'm the most uncomfortable with the changes to the bootsector. We only
> > have so many configuration bytes available, and using a full byte for
> > the blind option seems to not be the best use of that resource.
> >
> > Question: is it really critical that all of the hardware probe messages
> > always be accessible via the blind-mode console? How about this as a
> > proposal:
> >
> > All kernels will have support for turning on/off "blind mode" via the
> > escape sequences. Init will recognize the kernel command line argument
> > "blind=1", and if it sees it, it will send the escape sequence to all of
> > the console. A blind person who wishes to see the boot messages gets
> > Linux running using the above procedure, and then recompiles a kernel
> > whose default mode is "blind mode on". That will allow the blind person
> > to see the hardware probing boot messages.
>
> This is not good enough because it is not possible to
> know what went wrong during an install.
>
> The problem is that this stuff must go in the boot sector.
Why must it go in the boot sector? What about cmdline flag ``blind=1''
that is interpreted as one of the first things in the kernel?
So you don't loose to much infos, and still don't need a byte in the boot
sector. Or have I overlooked something? (I know, this works only with LILO
type boot disks, but then, blinds can only access PC's with Brailleterminals,
so we just add one requirement en plus: Don't use raw zImage disks :( )
Andreas
-- Andreas Kostyrka Email: andreas@medman.ag.or.at Fax: +43/1/7070750 Tel: +43/1/7077571, +43/664/3020166 (cellular) Copyright 1996 Andreas Kostyrka. Microsoft Network is prohibited from redistributing this work in any form, in whole or in part.