vmware bochs osr5 under linux

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From: Bela Lubkin <belal@caldera.com>
Subject: Re: OSR5 under bochs, Re: INT13 function FAh during boot?
Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 01:06:54 GMT

Carl Sopchak wrote:

> I think I figured out where the problem is.  Bochs is pretty slow, and
> it takes a while for OSR5 to boot up.  So, while it's doing that, I
> frequently switch to another X window and do other stuff.  It so
> happens that I almost always use <alt><tab> to switch windows.  This
> is caught by X, but is also passed on to OSR5.  That is, at least the
> MAKE codes are passed on, but the BREAK codes are NOT.  Therefore,
> OSR5 THINKS the <alt> key is pressed (since it got the make but not
> the break), even though it is not (when the bochs X window regains
> focus).  If I just press and release the <alt> key (after returning to
> the bochs window), things start working normally again.  (That's also
> why I had a hard time duplicating the problem on Friday:  I wasn't
> switching between X windows.)

Oh, I should have suggested hitting and releasing Alt.  Actually I have
a little brain macro that I use for such problems on all OSes
(frequently helpful on Windows 98, for instance): I hit and release, one
at a time: left-ctrl, left-alt, left-shift, right-ctrl, right-alt,
right-shift; put mouse cursor in a safe place, then left-mouse,
middle-mouse, right-mouse; then hit and release twice each: numlock,
capslock, scrolllock.  This fixes a _lot_ of problems with a lot of
OSes.

In your specific case, I would think that OSR5 would see a BREAK code
for Alt when you Alt-Tab back to it.  If Bochs sends it the MAKE code on
the way out and doesn't send it the BREAK on the way back in, that looks
like a Bochs bug.

Of course if you Alt-Tab _away_ from Bochs, then use a mouse click to
reactivate it, I'm not really sure what Bochs could do about it.  In
that case you probably legitimately should have to hit and release Alt
to notify the hosted OS that you are no longer pressing Alt.

> I'll have to think through how this could get fixed (or if it's
> something that will have to be lived with).  It's kinda related to the
> <alt><ctrl><Fn> switching between multiscreens in OSR5 and
> pseudo-terminals (same as multiscreens) in Linux.  I would guess one
> possible solution is to totally intercept all keyboard input before X
> acts upon it (possible???) while bochs is the window in focus.  Then,
> you'd have to use the mouse to change X window focus.  I'm not too
> sure I like that...  Hummmm...

You probably don't want to completely change Bochs' input architecture
to deal with this...

> I've also been working on the font size issue.  Some changes to bochs
> in this reguard has been committed to the CVS tree, which I'll have to
> look at.  But this should be solved soon...
> 
> Thanks again,

Sure,

>Bela<
 

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