linux-kernel - Re: [RESUBMIT] [PATCH] Use BIOS Keyboard variable to set Numlock

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Message-ID: <4F4C1C7B.7020401@zytor.com>
Date:	Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:14:51 -0800
From:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
To:	"Joshua C." <joshuacov@...glemail.com>
CC:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Bodo Eggert <7eggert@....de>
Subject: Re: [RESUBMIT] [PATCH] Use BIOS Keyboard variable to set Numlock

> 
> Do you mind querying the state in Grub? This will mean that we'll have
> to remove the code that sets this bit from the kernel and leave it the
> in the state reported by the grub?
> 

Doing anything in Grub is idiotic at best.  The place to do it is in the
kernel BIOS stub code.

> If so I'm not sure about it. We check the BIOS data area as defined
> for IBM PCs (1981), so a fair amount of user should benefit from the
> change. Those non-BIOS boots can set the numlock=0 and won't be
> affected by this. I think this isa lot easier to implement than doing
> it in the BIOS bootstrap code.

Not really, and your patch really shows it.  It probably could be done
in less than 20 lines, total.

	-hpa

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