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Linux framebuffer
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<h2 id="applications">Applications</h2> <p>There are three applications of the Linux framebuffer: </p> <ul><li>An implementation of text <a href="/facts/Linux_console/WpRgbFI9">Linux console</a> that doesn't use hardware <a href="/facts/Text_mode/641fGn4S">text mode</a> (useful when that mode is unavailable, or to overcome its restrictions on glyph size, number of code points, etc.). One popular aspect of this is the ability to have console show the <a href="/facts/Tux_(mascot)/ySD276oH">Tux</a> logo at boot up.</li> <li>A graphic output method for a <a href="/facts/Display_server/nKYmkjP6">display server</a>, independent of <a href="/facts/Video_adapter/bcKfPyFt">video adapter</a> hardware and its drivers.</li> <li>Graphic programs avoiding the <a href="/facts/Computational_overhead/e2jgPrHr">overhead</a> of the <a href="/facts/X_Window_System/ac2vRIQL">X Window System</a>.</li></ul> <p>Examples of the third application include Linux programs such as <a href="/facts/MPlayer/nfyW0yjn">MPlayer</a>, <a href="/facts/Links2/0Vdzxdza">links2</a>, <a href="/facts/NetSurf/XmpUXFMM">NetSurf</a>, <a href="/facts/W3m/eI5hK9vJ">w3m</a>, fbff,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> fbida,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> and fim,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> and libraries such as <a href="/facts/OpenGL_Utility_Toolkit/trQpU8Lv">GLUT</a>, <a href="/facts/Simple_DirectMedia_Layer/9tSff0Lg">SDL</a> (version 1.2), <a href="/facts/GTK/oLpVm9pp">GTK</a>, and <a href="/facts/Qt_(software)/gVhwlQnJ">Qt</a>, which can all use the framebuffer directly.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> This use case is particularly popular in <a href="/facts/Embedded_system/a4muX1wU">embedded systems</a>. </p><p>The now defunct<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> <a href="/facts/DirectFB/LcCkaDg1">DirectFB</a> is another project aimed at providing a framework for hardware acceleration of the Linux framebuffer. </p><p>There was also a windowing system called FramebufferUI (fbui) implemented in kernel space that provided a basic two-dimensional windowing experience with very little memory use.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>Linux has had generic framebuffer support since the 2.1.109 kernel.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>It was originally implemented to allow the kernel to emulate a text console on systems such as the <a href="/facts/Mac_(computer)/8GhnXTK0">Apple Macintosh</a> that do not have a <a href="/facts/Text_mode/641fGn4S">text-mode display</a>, and was later expanded to the <a href="/facts/IBM_PC_compatible/zGUpl7Sh">IBM PC compatible</a> platform. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Free and open-source software portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Direct_Rendering_Infrastructure/gY65go57">Direct Rendering Infrastructure</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Kernel_mode_setting/AjCBBvrU">Kernel mode setting</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/linux-fbdev/">Linux framebuffer</a> on <a href="/facts/SourceForge/lxYAgUAX">SourceForge</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.xfree86.org/4.3.0/fbdev.4.html">XFree86 doc</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>The Frame Buffer Device, Linux Kernel Documentation <a href="https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/fb/framebuffer.txt" target="_blank">https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/fb/framebuffer.txt</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Developer Steps up Wanting to Maintain Linux's FBDEV Subsystem". <a href="https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-FBDEV-2022-Maintainer" target="_blank">https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-FBDEV-2022-Maintainer</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>fbff media player repository, GitHub <a href="https://github.com/aligrudi/fbff/" target="_blank">https://github.com/aligrudi/fbff/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>fbi/fbida image viewer homepage <a href="https://www.kraxel.org/blog/linux/fbida/" target="_blank">https://www.kraxel.org/blog/linux/fbida/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>FIM (Fbi IMproved) image viewer homepage <a href="https://www.nongnu.org/fbi-improved/" target="_blank">https://www.nongnu.org/fbi-improved/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>HiGFXback (History of graphics backends) project with the Linux Framebuffer graphics backend, GitHub <a href="https://github.com/caramelli/higfxback/wiki/Linux-Framebuffer" target="_blank">https://github.com/caramelli/higfxback/wiki/Linux-Framebuffer</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"DirectFB Is Back To Being Dormant". www.phoronix.com. Retrieved 2024-01-01. <a href="https://www.phoronix.com/news/DirectFB-2017-Dormant" target="_blank">https://www.phoronix.com/news/DirectFB-2017-Dormant</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Framebuffer UI (fbui) in-kernel Linux windowing system, GitHub <a href="https://github.com/8l/fbui" target="_blank">https://github.com/8l/fbui</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Buell, Alex (5 August 2010). "Framebuffer HOWTO". tldp.org. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023 – via Internet Archive. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231210091651/https://tldp.org/HOWTO/Framebuffer-HOWTO/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20231210091651/https://tldp.org/HOWTO/Framebuffer-HOWTO/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>