Copy the KDE 3.5 branch to branches/trinity for new KDE 3.5 features.

BUG:215923


git-svn-id: svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/branches/trinity/kdebase@1054174 283d02a7-25f6-0310-bc7c-ecb5cbfe19da

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+Konsole and the Linux console
+
+
+From a technical point of view, the Linux console differes
+so substantially from any other terminal, that it impossible
+to fully emulate it. This is because the Linux console lives
+in kernel space and interfaces by kernel means, which cannot
+be simulated by any user space application.
+
+Contrary to this fact, konsole can be configured to appear
+and function console like to a degree that makes it virtually
+undistinguishable from the original. To do so, switch off the
+menubar, scrollbar and frame, select the Linux colors and font
+and set the full screen mode. 
+
+If you're running the console with the same resolution as
+your X display (which you can, thanks to the frame buffer
+console), you should get a pixel identical display then,
+despite the fact that you're still running an X terminal.
+
+
+* What make the Linux console so unique?
+
+The central differences between the Linux console and xterm
+like emulations are:
+
+1) The Linux console uses some special devices (vcs,vcsa)
+   and ioctls for some purposes, for which no correspondent
+   escape codes exist.
+2) The Linux console uses gpm for the mouse.
+3) The Linux console does not have an application screen.
+   Xterm like application switch from a primary screen to
+   the application screen when running in full screen mode,
+   keeping the shell session apart from the application.
+   Application like MC emulation the application screen on
+   the Linux console using the devices mentioned in 1).
+4) The Linux console may use a character map different from
+   the one used in X11.
+5) The TERM environment variable is "linux"
+6) A few key codes (F1-F5) differ.
+7) The Linux console occupies the whole display.
+
+Clearly, 1) and 2) make the Linux console so distinct that
+an explicit Linux console simulation cannot exist.
+
+
+* Running Konsole in true Linux console mode:
+
+To some degree, one can run application with Linux console
+emulation, too.
+
+- export TERM=linux to trigger ncurses aware applications
+  to expect a linux console.
+- set the appropriate codec (this is cp437 on my installation)
+  to get graphical and international characters properly.
+[TODO: to control codec via menu settings is work in progress, meaning not available yet.]
+- set the Linux keyboard to get the F1-F5 function keys right.
+
+In general it is NOT advisable to ever modify the above
+indicated settings unless you know what you're doing.
+
+Note that applications then may not react properly on changing
+the window size anymore. Often they ignore it completely or
+behave strange in other ways. I even saw one application dying
+from the shock of noticing that the linux console has simply
+changed it's size (Debian's dselect). Since the Linux console
+can be resized, this behavior is to be considered a bug in
+these applications, i cannot help it.
+
+Mouse-aware application will most probably not recognize
+mouse events (especially mc) since they might try to get
+these events from gpm instead.
+
+MC will not be able to access the special console devices
+then and cannot simulate a secondary screen, treating the
+emulation as "dummy" with respect to it (^O).
+
+Some application will also assume that the default background
+is black, thereby producing random black background ranges.
+
+The linux console can some funny quirks with special graphic
+characters and i will not teach Konsole all of them. In rare
+cases, they might display differently. Affected to my knowledge
+are especially non-VT100 extensions taken from the AT&T 4410v1,
+these are arrow symbols, a full block and a checker board. Most
+other tricks that the linux console is able to do with character
+sets are eventually not even used in a single instance, so you
+will hardly be disturbed by it.