[Gllug] Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop console mode

[David L Neil]

Hi Tim,

On 04/13/2011 09:56 AM, t.clarke wrote:
> I have been playing with Ubuntu 10.10 (Desktop) to see if it is a viable

I'm using Fedora 14 (YMMV!)


> alternative to Windows.   One big problem is that the 'text mode' console
> screens use ridiculously small characters;  we need to be able to telnet into
> a host Unix system in 80cols x 25line mode, such that the whole screen is
> used.  Using the 'terminal' in the graphical screen doesn't work either,
> as resizing the 'panel' doesn't make the characters any bigger, just increases
> the amount of unused space in the panel.

I've wondered about this too - like my eBook reader, I've often wished I 
could beg/borrow/steal some young(er) person's eyes to be able to read 
the thing with greater facility.

Next product from the fruit (machine) vendor: the iBall?
(ok, that's quite enough by way of horrible puns for one day)


> Is there any way to force the system to use 80x25 in the console 'text'
> screens (1 - 6) ?    I have tried resizecons and that doesn't work either.

I am no SysAdmin, but just for fun, and using my Gnome desktop and 
"Terminal":

Edit (menu)
Profile Preferences
Editing Profile "name" (d.box)
(uncheck) Use the System Fixed Width Font
(select) Font:
[which looks like a drop-down list but single-click -> Choose a Terminal 
Font d.box]

Selected Bitstream Vera Sans Mono Roman font simply to see what would 
happen and as that change was made, and subsequently when the font size 
was increased, the (80x24) window expanded proportionally.

Setting the font at 16pts expands the Terminal window to almost the full 
screen of my (small) portable.

The setting is 'sticky', ie if Terminal is closed down and a new 
window/session opened. Similarly when a second Terminal window/session 
is opened or additional Tabs within Terminal.

Should you wish, there are "Profiles" within Terminal which enable 
varied settings to suit purposes - pre-Tab days, I used these to 
differentiate between Terminals that were SSH-ing* to different machines 
and that of the local m/c!

-- 
Regards,
=dn

* obligatory professional advice that Telnet is an inherently insecure 
protocol and recommending consideration of SSH (et al)...
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