should define a FRAMEBUFFER variable for applications

[GoogleCodeExporter]

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. start fbterm
2. start an application using a framebuffer inside the fbterm

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

One would expect the application to be able to draw on the fb, just like when 
it's started from the plain Linux console. Instead it notices it's in a pts and 
thus doesn't dare opening the fb.

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?

1.6, Debian

Please provide any additional information below.

To make the application dare to open the fb, fbterm should define FRAMEBUFFER 
to the device that it has itself opened, e.g. /dev/fb0

Original issue reported on code.google.com by youpi...@gmail.com on 29 Nov 2010 at 11:40

[GoogleCodeExporter]

1. Are you sure that all fb based applications will begin to work in fbterm 
just when FRAMEBUFFER is defined?

2. you can define FRAMEBUFFER manually.

Original comment by zgchan...@gmail.com on 5 Dec 2010 at 6:55

[GoogleCodeExporter]

> 1. Are you sure that all fb based applications will begin to work in fbterm
> just when FRAMEBUFFER is defined?

This is a chicken-and-egg question... Please become the egg so we can have 
chickens!

You can also not rely on *all* fb-based applications to follow the FRAMEBUFFER 
variable, since you'll always find someone who doesn't care even if it was a 
standard...

Now, it happens that I've noticed all of the applications I know do follow the 
FRAMEBUFFER variable: w3m, links2, splashy, mplayer, fbterm (yes, as a client), 
so I do believe it's already a very common convention, and fbterm should just 
help to make it a more established convention. Please be the egg since it seems 
there are some chicken around here :)

> 2. you can define FRAMEBUFFER manually.

Sure. Just like people could set DISPLAY by hand in their .xinitrc, rather than 
just relying on startx to set it properly... Why shouldn't fbterm just help the 
user by automatically setting it, since it does know which fb device is the 
proper
one to open?

Original comment by youpi...@gmail.com on 8 Dec 2010 at 4:04

[GoogleCodeExporter]

You are right :)

fbterm will behave like:
1) if FRAMEBUFFER is defined, fbterm just use its value
2) if FRAMEBUFFER isn't defined, fbterm open first usable fb device and set 
FRAMEBUFFER to it

Original comment by zgchan...@gmail.com on 8 Dec 2010 at 10:25

• Changed state: Started

[GoogleCodeExporter]

> fbterm will behave like:
> 1) if FRAMEBUFFER is defined, fbterm just use its value
> 2) if FRAMEBUFFER isn't defined, fbterm open first usable fb device and set 
FRAMEBUFFER to it

Exactly.

Original comment by youpi...@gmail.com on 8 Dec 2010 at 11:18