Re: Number Lock Default on i386 / OBSD 3.4

[Nick Holland <nick@holland-consulting.net>]

Paul Frank Covello wrote:
...
> When the system boots up, I always have to hit the numlock
> key to turn it on despite having set the BIOS/CMOS to turn
> on my numlock by default, the system shuts it off again
> during boot.  I tried wsconsctl -w keyboard.ledstate=2
> but this does not work.  Although the Num Lock Light goes
> on, I am NOT in Num Lock mode.  I have to cycle the Numlock
> again to turn it on.
> 
> Does anyone have a way I can solve this little problem?

yeah, submit a patch. 8)
(Open source OS, you can do that. 8)

Some time ago (3.5 years!), I asked that same basic question.
The response I got was:  "      "
(yes, none at all)
I was really anticipating a "You idiot" response, or a "Because we
like it that way" or at least a "yeah, why?" response...

You are now doing better than I did. 8)

Looking at a number of other OSs, they do the same thing, and in fact,
for the relatively few I have handy in front of me, the "32 bit" OSs
(OpenBSD, WinXP) turn off the numlock function, the 16 bit OSs (MSDOS,
Win95) don't.  

<speculative explaination 1>
The keyboard "lock key" state can be queried through the BIOS, but the
BIOS is really only available while the processor is in the "Real
mode" (i.e., 8086 emulation mode that DOS uses), and trying to figure
out what state the BIOS left the keyboard lock keys in the 32 bit mode
is probably doable, but a royal pain in the butt (if possible at all),
and probably not overly "portable" between machines, so most OSs just
reset the keyboard controller to a known state and forget whatever the
"power on state" was, for the little effort needed to tap the numlock
key.

Evidendence: most 32 bit OSs seem to do this (inc. Win2k (from memory)
and WinXP (just tested)).
</speculative explaination 1>

<speculative explaination 2>
No one gives cares about this at all except you and me.

Evidence: Up to the time I asked, I had never seen any reference to
this question.  I read almost all the postings to misc@ (*twitch*
*twitch*), and never seen anyone else ask about it since (and a quick
search of the archives verifies my memory, a truly rare occurance)
Evidence: Except for laptops, how often do most developers reboot
their OpenBSD systems?  (ans: when they update...and relatively
speaking, tapping a numlock is NOTHING to wondering if that patch you
are testing just broke your system).  And...laptops work better with
the numlock OFF anyway.
Evidence: until you mentioned it, I mostly forgot about this myself.
</speculative explaination 2>

I think it is us. 8-)

Nick.
-- 
http://www.holland-consulting.net