• Where is Console font config?

    From sebul@21:1/5 to All on Sun Oct 17 01:50:01 2021
    Hello. https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/customizing.en.html#consolefont says /etc/kbd/config file
    But, I cannot find /etc/kbd/config on my Debian.
    How can I solve it?

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  • From Justin B Rye@21:1/5 to sebul on Sun Oct 17 09:40:01 2021
    sebul wrote:
    https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/customizing.en.html#consolefont says /etc/kbd/config file
    But, I cannot find /etc/kbd/config on my Debian.
    How can I solve it?

    /etc/kbd/config is deprecated in favour of /etc/default/console-setup
    (see /usr/share/doc/kbd/NEWS.Debian.gz). This seems to imply kbd's
    package description is also cobwebby:

    # Description: Linux console font and keytable utilities
    # This package allows you to set up the Linux console, change the font,
    # resize text mode virtual consoles and remap the keyboard.
    # .
    # You will probably want to install a set of data files, such as the one
    # in the “console-data” package.

    For a start there's no such package as "console-data" (does it mean console-setup-linux?)

    Mind you, given that I've never particularly wanted to do any of these
    things before, and the package only claims to be "Priority: optional",
    why do I have it installed? Presumably it's because Debian-Installer
    needs this capacity, and leaves console-setup, console-setup-linux,
    and kbd holding one another installed by a dependency loop; but as far
    as I can see I might as well have purged all three of them years ago.
    --
    JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
    sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package

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  • From RL@21:1/5 to Justin B Rye on Wed Oct 20 00:00:02 2021
    Justin B Rye <justin.byam.rye@gmail.com> writes:

    sebul wrote:
    https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/customizing.en.html#consolefont
    says /etc/kbd/config file
    But, I cannot find /etc/kbd/config on my Debian.
    How can I solve it?

    /etc/kbd/config is deprecated in favour of /etc/default/console-setup
    (see /usr/share/doc/kbd/NEWS.Debian.gz). This seems to imply kbd's
    package description is also cobwebby:

    # Description: Linux console font and keytable utilities
    # This package allows you to set up the Linux console, change the font,
    # resize text mode virtual consoles and remap the keyboard.
    # .
    # You will probably want to install a set of data files, such as the one
    # in the “console-data” package.

    For a start there's no such package as "console-data" (does it mean console-setup-linux?)

    there is https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=console-data

    but i am equally puzzled by what any of these three packages (kbd, console-data, console-setup) actually do, or which i really need. I find
    the desciptions of all unclear.

    The installer leaves you with kbd (which recommends console-setup | console-data) but i've never known how to find out why.

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  • From Osamu Aoki@21:1/5 to All on Sat Oct 30 02:10:01 2021
    I suppose debian-faq and kbd packages needs to be updated.

    For the original question, in my debian-reference explains as: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch08.en.html#_the_keyboard_input_for_linux_console_and_x_window

    ---
    The Debian system can be configured to work with many international keyboard arrangements using the keyboard-configuration and console-setup packages.

    # dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration
    # dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

    For the Linux console and the X Window system, this updates configuration parameters
    in "/etc/default/keyboard" and "/etc/default/console-setup". This also configures the
    Linux console font. Many non-ASCII characters including accented characters used by
    many European languages can be made available with dead key, AltGr key, and compose
    key.
    ---

    I agree with Justine that things has changed and I think I updated my doc over 10
    years ago. Of course, I don't remember the details now. (I will continue this discussion after quoted text.)

    On Tue, 2021-10-19 at 22:43 +0100, RL wrote:
    Justin B Rye <justin.byam.rye@gmail.com> writes:

    sebul wrote:
    https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/customizing.en.html#consolefont
    says /etc/kbd/co
  • From Brian Potkin@21:1/5 to Osamu Aoki on Sat Oct 30 21:30:01 2021
    On Sat 30 Oct 2021 at 09:03:50 +0900, Osamu Aoki wrote:

    I suppose debian-faq and kbd packages needs to be updated.

    For the original question, in my debian-reference explains as: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch08.en.html#_the_keyboard_input_for_linux_console_and_x_window

    ---
    The Debian system can be configured to work with many international keyboard arrangements using the keyboard-configuration and console-setup packages.

    # dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration
    # dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

    For the Linux console and the X Window system, this updates configuration parameters
    in "/etc/default/keyboard" and "/etc/default/console-setup". This also configures the
    Linux console font. Many non-ASCII characters including accented characters used by
    many European languages can be made available with dead key, AltGr key, and compose
    key.
    ---

    I agree with Justine that things has changed and I think I updated my doc over 10
    years ago. Of course, I don't remember the details now. (I will continue this
    discussion after quoted text.)

    On Tue, 2021-10-19 at 22:43 +0100, RL wrote:
    Justin B Rye <justin.byam.rye@gmail.com> writes:

    sebul wrote:
    https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/customizing.en.html#consolefont
    says /etc/kbd/config file
    But, I cannot find /etc/kbd/config on my Debian.
    How can I solve it?

    /etc/kbd/config is deprecated in favour of /etc/default/console-setup (see /usr/share/doc/kbd/NEWS.Debian.gz). This seems to imply kbd's package description is also cobwebby:

    # Description: Linux console font and keytable utilities
    # This package allows you to set up the Linux console, change the font,
    # resize text mode virtual consoles and remap the keyboard.
    # .
    # You will probably want to install a set of data files, such as the one # in the “console-data” package.

    For a start there's no such package as "console-data" (does it mean console-setup-linux?)

    there is https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=console-data

    but i am equally puzzled by what any of these three packages (kbd, console-data, console-setup) actually do, or which i really need. I find the desciptions of all unclear.

    The installer leaves you with kbd (which recommends console-setup | console-data) but i've never known how to find out why.


    Let's check what are used on Debian.

    kbd and keyboard-configuration and console-setup are introduced around 2010 and
    widely used since.
    * https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=kbd
    * https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=console-setup
    console-data and console-common usage are not used for new default installations
    since 2010.
    * https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=console-data
    * https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=console-common

    Let's use aptitude to see kbd package.

    ---
    i A --\ kbd
    2.3.0-3 2.3.0-3
    Description: Linux console font and keytable utilities
    This package allows you to set up the Linux console, change the font, resize text
    mode virtual consoles and remap the keyboard.

    You will probably want to install a set of data files, such as the one in the
    “console-data” package.
    ...
    --\ Recommends (1)
    --\ console-setup | console-data
    p console-data 2:1.12-8
    i A console-setup 1.205
    --\ Conflicts (1)
    --- console-utilities
    --- Package names provided by kbd (1)
    --- Packages which depend on kbd (14)
    --\ Versions of kbd (1)
    i A 2.3.0-3
    ---

    kbd installs console-setup as the primary candidate as recommend and skips to install
    console-date. But its description still carry situation when initial introduction of
    kbd package happened. It should now say “console-setup” instead of “console-data” to
    reduce confusion.

    I don't know why old console-data and console-common is still in archive. I don't
    use it any more. But maybe for some special system, they still need to configure as
    it was done before 2010. If it works, Debian doesn't drop packages. So there are
    old packages in archives which normal people don't need to use.

    For those who like logs and wonder why they have console-setup on their systems:

    Oct 30 15:49:24 apt-install: Queueing package console-setup for later installation
    Oct 30 15:51:44 in-target: console-setup-linux kbd xkb-data
    Oct 30 15:51:44 in-target: console-setup console-setup-linux kbd xkb-data
    Oct 30 15:51:44 in-target: Get:2 cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 11.1.0 _Bullseye_ - Official i386 NETINST 20211009-10:11] b
    ullseye/main i386 console-setup-linux all 1.205 [1,872 kB]
    Oct 30 15:51:44 in-target: Get:4 cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 11.1.0 _Bullseye_ - Official i386 NETINST 20211009-10:11] b
    ullseye/main i386 console-setup all 1.205 [100 kB]
    Oct 30 15:51:47 in-target: Selecting previously unselected package console-setup-linux.^M
    Oct 30 15:51:47 in-target: Preparing to unpack .../console-setup-linux_1.205_all.deb ...^M
    Oct 30 15:51:47 in-target: Unpacking console-setup-linux (1.205) ...^M
    Oct 30 15:51:49 in-target: Selecting previously unselected package console-setup.^M
    Oct 30 15:51:49 in-target: Preparing to unpack .../console-setup_1.205_all.deb ...^M
    Oct 30 15:51:49 in-target: Unpacking console-setup (1.205) ...^M
    Oct 30 15:51:49 in-target: Setting up console-setup-linux (1.205) ...^M
    Oct 30 15:51:51 in-target: Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/console-setup.service → /lib/sy
    stemd/system/console-setup.service.^M
    Oct 30 15:51:52 in-target: Setting up console-setup (1.205) ...^M

    console-setup doesn't get on a system via the base system or standard
    system utilities or dependencies. It is a consquence of installing
    a workable console and keyboard at the start of d-i. A brilliant idea
    in my view.

    --
    Brian.

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