The Disappearance of 80×25 Text Console Mode in Modern Computing Systems
By
teddyh
Toasted just enough. A reliable bake, gently seasoned.
Summary
The author expresses frustration that the traditional 80×25 text console mode, which has been a standard feature across DOS, OS/2, FreeBSD, and Linux for over 40 years, has disappeared from modern systems. Linux now renders text consoles using graphic modes, and this change is particularly problematic because PCs no longer support 80×25 text mode when booted with UEFI, while devices like Raspberry Pis never had this capability. The author is annoyed by this loss and wants to run console software designed for the classic 80-column format.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledSomehow along the way, a feature that I've had across DOS, OS/2, FreeBSD, and Linux — and has been present on PCs for more than 40 years — is gone.
That feature, of course, is the 80×25 text console.
Linux has, for awhile now, rendered its text console using graphic modes.
This has been necessary because only PCs really had the 80×25 text mode (Raspberry Pis, for instance, never did), and even they don't have it when booted with UEFI.
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