[U-Boot] [RFC] Codepages for console, video, FAT file system

[Marek Vasut]

On 5/30/19 12:38 PM, Heinrich Schuchardt wrote:
> The Linux console typically is running with Unicode. So with a serial
> connection we are transferring UTF-8. In the UEFI sub-subsystem we also
> assume that UTF-8 is used for the console.
> 
> Linux typically mounts FAT file systems assuming codepage 437 for the
> filenames. Windows assumes codepage 1250.
> 
> Currently when accessing the FAT filesystem the console characters are
> used verbatim without conversion to codepage 437 nor 1250 which leads to
> incorrect filenames when the partition is mounted in Linux or Windows.
> 
> The drivers/video/vidconsole-uclass.c has a comment that it is assuming
> codepage 437.
> 
> Some keyboard drivers also assume codepage 437.
> 
> My suggestion to overcome the chaos is that we change all our coding to
> assume that the console talks UTF-8 and the FAT filesystem gets a
> customizing setting defining if it is mounted as codepage 437 or 1250.

Sure, if it doesn't add bloat into SPL and/or grow the binary for
systems not using UEFI.

-- 
Best regards,
Marek Vasut