Changing Console Video Modes

[Edward Ruggeri]

I'm just reading through the manual for FreeBSD, and I am at section
3.2.6 "Changing Console Video Modes."  This discusses how to change
the default console resolution.  I would try this out, but as I can
only access my FreeBSD box remotely at the moment, I am hesitant to
recompile the kernel with the necessary options (I currently get an
error when running "#vidcontrol -i mode": "getting active vty:
Inappropriate ioctl for device".  I assume this is because the current
kernel is insufficient?).  I'm afraid my computer might need to be
booted by hand, which I wouldn't be able to do.

In any case, lacking the ability to experiment, I am curious about
different video modes.  Will greater resolutions allow me to fit more
text on the screen in the console?  Of course I know (maybe less than
I think) about resolution in terms of graphical environments (e.g.,
can see more of a high-resolution image w/ a greater resolution), but
is it the same for text?

Thanks!

Sincerely,

-- Ned Ruggeri