Re: Fwd: Bug#429695: grub-efi: key combinations requiring ctrl do not work

[Yoshinori K. Okuji]

On Wednesday 20 June 2007 15:02, Robert Millan wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 19, 2007 at 11:39:37PM +0900, Junichi Uekawa wrote:
> > Package: grub-efi
> > Version: 1.95+20070604-1
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > This is a reminder of the bug that upstream also acknowledges, but I
> > think it needs to be noted down in order to get grub-efi to be usable
> > in prime-time.
> >
> > grub-efi does not accept ctrl-{character} keys. Since grub2 requires
> > ctrl-{character} keys in editing menus (except for the 'escape' and
> > enter and up / down) you can't really do too many useful things.
> >
> > I think either of the following needs to happen
> >
> > 1. key needs to be remapped
> > 2. get ctrl key to start working.
>
> Upstream acknowledges this bug in http://grub.enbug.org/TestingOnEFI and
> says:
>
>   "[..] I guess I should write my own keyboard driver for EFI and replace
> the standard buggy driver."
>
> There's a SoC contributor in the process of writing an AT keyboard driver
> as part of the LinuxBIOS/grub2 integration project.
>
> Is it possible that this code can be reused for EFI?  Or does EFI block
> access to keyboard controller completely?

I think it is better to write a driver for EFI. EFI is a managed firmware 
(unlike PC-BIOS), so the interrupt controller, for example, is under the 
control of EFI. Thus, taking up the control brutally in GRUB sounds ugly and 
dangerous pontentially.

I have already reported this bug to Apple, but they have never responded. So I 
assume that this bug is still remaining, and the only practical solution is 
for us to provide a workaround.

The question is, if we can use any existing code as the base. Apple's firmware 
uses Intel's Sample Implementation, and the license term is suspicious for 
me, with regard to GPL compatibility. Possibly it would be better to ask a 
lawyer at FSF if we can reuse it.

Okuji