F18 doesn't see full laptop screen resolution

[Per Bothner]

On 02/01/2013 12:41 PM, Adam Jackson wrote:
> (To be clear: when I said "foolishly" in my other mail, I meant it in
> the sense that we're fools for making that trap so easy to fall into.
> Apologies if offense was taken; none was intended.)

I appreciate the clarification - I thought it seemed a bit obnoxious.

> Well, we don't normally set video parameters in the grub config at all.
> The theory is that you'll only hit 'nomodeset' if you had to use it to
> install, and in that case if we then defaulted to booting a KMS
> configuration you'd probably be booting a configuration that you _know_
> won't work, since it's the same kernel as you just used to run the
> installer (if you're not enabling updates at install time).

Disabling KMS in the installed system just because it was disabled during
installation is at least conceptually wrong, IMO.  It's rather like
disabling wireless (or networking in general) when installed because
wireless wasn't configured at install time.  Or disabling graphics
because you chose to use a text-mode installer.

> So really, to me, this suggests that we should hide the 'nomodeset'
> install option a little better.  I suspect that showing it early in the
> install process suggests to people that it's somehow more likely to
> succeed and therefore desirable.

Ideally, I'd have the installer ask something like:

    You are currently running in a basic graphics mode (no kernel 
mode-setting).
    Do you want basic graphics mode for your installation?

Or words to that effect.  We'd only need to show it when actually running
in basic graphics mode, so it wouldn't clutter up normal installs.

Also, it always friendly to explain:

    (You can change it later by doing xxx.)

though of course you don't want to be too verbose.
-- 
	--Per Bothner
per at bothner.com   http://per.bothner.com/