Boot manager beep

[Wilko Bulte]

On Fri, Dec 09, 2005 at 08:43:14AM -0700, Scott Long wrote..
> Wilko Bulte wrote:
> >On Fri, Dec 09, 2005 at 07:49:33AM -0700, Scott Long wrote..
> >
> >>Thomas E. Zander wrote:
> >>
> >>>Hi,
> >>>
> >>>just installed a fresh 6.0 on a laptop, using the standard boot
> >>>manager. The problem is: The default volume of pcspeaker can't be tuned
> >>>in bios or anywhere else before loading a sound driver (in this case
> >>>snd_ich). This especially means the pc speaker volume is always set to
> >>>100% at every boot which results in a horribly loud beep which I am
> >>>afraid the built-in "speakers" can't do very often :-)
> >>>
> >>>So what about this one:
> >>>
> >>>--- /usr/src/sys/boot/i386/boot0/boot0.S
> >>>+++ boot0.S
> >>>@@ -201,9 +201,7 @@
> >>>/*
> >>>* Start of input loop.  Beep and take note of time
> >>>*/
> >>>-main.10:	movb $ASCII_BEL,%al		# Signal
> >>>-		callw putchr			#  beep!
> >>>-		xorb %ah,%ah			# BIOS: Get
> >>>+main.10:	xorb %ah,%ah			# BIOS: Get
> >>>		int $0x1a			#  system time
> >>>		movw %dx,%di			# Ticks when
> >>>		addw _TICKS(%bp),%di		#  timeout
> >>>
> >>>This might be an issue on other architectures (amd64?) as well, I
> >>>haven't checked that right now.
> >>>
> >>>TIA,
> >>>Riggs
> >>>
> >>
> >>The beep is useful for some people who run headless systems, but it
> >>is indeed annoying for others, especially with laptops in quiet places.
> >>We should probably conditionalize this on a variable that can go into
> >>/etc/make.conf.  Note that amd64 uses the i386 bits here.
> >
> >
> >Originally it was introduced (IIRC) to accomodate visually impaired users 
> >of FreeBSD.  So the install CDs etc better keep it enabled.
> 
> It is highly irritating for everyone else, though.

So, creating an option to disable it would help them.  And still allow the
others the benefit of the 'beep'.  There is enough unusable (for visually
imparred people) crud in this world, like all these silly Flash-websites
etc.

-- 
Wilko Bulte				wilko at FreeBSD.org