Re: Does kmscon work?

Hello, Arsen.

Thanks for the rapid reply!

On Thu, May 28, 2026 at 23:09:45 +0200, Arsen Arsenović wrote:
> Alan Mackenzie <[email protected]> writes:

> > I've got kmscon 10.0.0 (a replacement console program) on my machine,
> > even though it's keyworded.

> > It doesn't work for me.  When I try to start it, by typing

> >     $ kmscon

> > , not only does it not work, it hangs my system such that the only
> > working peripheral is the reset button.  Though to be fair, it does
> > output a message confirming it's started before hanging the machine.

> > This program has an enormous man page containing an enormous number of
> > options, and, I think, has the possibility of a configuration file.  :-(

> > Before I start trying to debug this situation, can anybody tell me
> > whether kmscon works at all?  Possibly typing its name at an existing
> > command prompt isn't the correct way to start it, but surely it should
> > have better manners than to hang the machine?

> > Is there perhaps something obvious I'm missing here?  Maybe it's
> > keyworded simply because it doesn't work on Gentoo.

> I recall running it at some point.

But you stopped using it for some reason.  Was there anything wrong with
it that caused you to stop?

> Before hitting the hard reset, try sshd.

Maybe I could have tried that, yes.

> Instead of the manpage, https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Kmscon will
> probably cover what you should do.  I know that the systemd steps
> work(ed at some point).

Ah, that makes it clear.  The page describes how to use kmscon, and it
appears you can only hard-configure it into your system.  There doesn't
appear to be an easy way of just trying it out.  :-(

The man page doesn't describe how to use kmscon.  It's just a massive
list of options.

> Not sure personally if and why 'kmscon' on the TTY should work, sorry :/

It seems that it cannot.  Maybe I'll submit a bug report about the
hanging.

Have a good evening!  (What's left of it.)

> -- 
> Arsen Arsenović

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).