Re: [gentoo-user] Soft scrolling on framebuffer consoles - New version of the patch.

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hello, Gentoo.

Here is the latest version of my soft scrolling patch for the gentoo
kernel version 5.15.80.  It will surely work on any reasonably recent
kernel version, and also on future versions.  The new version doesn't
add any new functionality, it just patches the kernel giving rise to
fewer messages from the patch utility.

The purpose of the patch is to enable you to scroll a linux console text
display up and down by half a screen by typing <shift><down> and
<shift><up>.

To use this patch, proceed thusly:

(i) cd /usr/src/linux-5.15.80, or similar.  Get the attached patch file,
  5.15.80-scroll-20221212.diff into this directory.
(ii) patch -p1 < 5.15.80-scroll-20221212.diff.
(iii) Configure the kernel in your usual way.  The extra items added by
  the patch are CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_SOFT_SCROLLBACK and
  CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_SOFT_SCROLLBACK_SIZE, to be found in make
  menuconfig under Device Drivers/Graphic Support/Console display driver
  support.  The help items for these should explain them adequately.
(iv) Build the kernel.
(v) Put the new kernel into your usual boot manager.
(vi) Reboot and enjoy!

As far as I know this patch should be safe (apart from the mysterious
alleged security problem which caused the soft scrolling to be removed
from the kernel in the first place).  There is certainly nothing
malicious in it.  But if it does break anything for you, you get to keep
the pieces.  But if anything does go wrong, please tell me about it
(preferably here on the list, but by private email if you'd prefer), so
that I can try and fix it.

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).