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authorLinus Torvalds <torvalds@ppc970.osdl.org>2005-04-16 15:20:36 -0700
committerLinus Torvalds <torvalds@ppc970.osdl.org>2005-04-16 15:20:36 -0700
commit1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 (patch)
tree0bba044c4ce775e45a88a51686b5d9f90697ea9d /Documentation/fb/internals.txt
Linux-2.6.12-rc2v2.6.12-rc2
Initial git repository build. I'm not bothering with the full history, even though we have it. We can create a separate "historical" git archive of that later if we want to, and in the meantime it's about 3.2GB when imported into git - space that would just make the early git days unnecessarily complicated, when we don't have a lot of good infrastructure for it. Let it rip!
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+
+This is a first start for some documentation about frame buffer device
+internals.
+
+Geert Uytterhoeven <geert@linux-m68k.org>, 21 July 1998
+James Simmons <jsimmons@user.sf.net>, Nov 26 2002
+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ *** STRUCTURES USED BY THE FRAME BUFFER DEVICE API ***
+
+The following structures play a role in the game of frame buffer devices. They
+are defined in <linux/fb.h>.
+
+1. Outside the kernel (user space)
+
+ - struct fb_fix_screeninfo
+
+ Device independent unchangeable information about a frame buffer device and
+ a specific video mode. This can be obtained using the FBIOGET_FSCREENINFO
+ ioctl.
+
+ - struct fb_var_screeninfo
+
+ Device independent changeable information about a frame buffer device and a
+ specific video mode. This can be obtained using the FBIOGET_VSCREENINFO
+ ioctl, and updated with the FBIOPUT_VSCREENINFO ioctl. If you want to pan
+ the screen only, you can use the FBIOPAN_DISPLAY ioctl.
+
+ - struct fb_cmap
+
+ Device independent colormap information. You can get and set the colormap
+ using the FBIOGETCMAP and FBIOPUTCMAP ioctls.
+
+
+2. Inside the kernel
+
+ - struct fb_info
+
+ Generic information, API and low level information about a specific frame
+ buffer device instance (slot number, board address, ...).
+
+ - struct `par'
+
+ Device dependent information that uniquely defines the video mode for this
+ particular piece of hardware.
+
+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ *** VISUALS USED BY THE FRAME BUFFER DEVICE API ***
+
+
+Monochrome (FB_VISUAL_MONO01 and FB_VISUAL_MONO10)
+-------------------------------------------------
+Each pixel is either black or white.
+
+
+Pseudo color (FB_VISUAL_PSEUDOCOLOR and FB_VISUAL_STATIC_PSEUDOCOLOR)
+---------------------------------------------------------------------
+The whole pixel value is fed through a programmable lookup table that has one
+color (including red, green, and blue intensities) for each possible pixel
+value, and that color is displayed.
+
+
+True color (FB_VISUAL_TRUECOLOR)
+--------------------------------
+The pixel value is broken up into red, green, and blue fields.
+
+
+Direct color (FB_VISUAL_DIRECTCOLOR)
+------------------------------------
+The pixel value is broken up into red, green, and blue fields, each of which
+are looked up in separate red, green, and blue lookup tables.
+
+
+Grayscale displays
+------------------
+Grayscale and static grayscale are special variants of pseudo color and static
+pseudo color, where the red, green and blue components are always equal to
+each other.
+