Re: [gentoo-user] Console scrollback

[Philip Webb]

On Sat, 16 Jan 2021 12:01:48 +0000, Alan Mackenzie wrote:
> I usually install Gentoo via ssh.
> The article I read about the removal of Linux console's backscrolling
> feature said it was mostly due to lack of a maintainer for that code,
> and that if somebody stepped forward to maintain it, it could be revived.
> I subscribed to the linux-kernel list for a short time
> and offered my services in a post.  Not one single reply did I get.
> Linus Torvalds personally took the decision to remove the scrolling.
> Sure, he went through the motions of pretending to try to find
> a maintainer, but didn't put any serious effort into it.
> He argued that "nobody" uses it anyway, therefore it is unimportant.
> Exactly what the bugs are in the scrolling code
> wasn't gone into on the list, despite more than one contributor asking.

You can't expect Linus to take any time over a minority of users
or for the kernel team generally to reply to someone they don't know.
In order to get attention, you need to come up with a set of patches
which you know work in a modified kernel in your own machine.
For that, you have to put in some work of your own,
searching out the bugs, examining the relevant code,
finding what is needed to fix the bugs & testing patched kernels.

If you try using Screen, you could print yourself a list of commands,
which would make it easier to get used to its features.
It may well be easier to go over to BSD instead.

When I installed this system in 2015, I needed to use raw terminals,
so I wonder whether this is a real problem for a lot of Gentoo users.
If so, an approach by a Gentoo dev to the kernel maintainers
would be likely to get the attention you can't get on your own.

HTH

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