
 splashutils -- userspace utilities for the framebuffer splash

 Prerequisities (when building splashutils with fbsplash support):
  - you have to be running a 2.6 kernel built with CONFIG_FB_SPLASH enabled  
  - you have to have this kernel's sources available
  
 Installation:
 
  1) Create a symlink 'linux' pointing to your kernel sources. In common
     cases `ln -s /usr/src/linux linux` should be enough. 
  2) Choose configuration options. This step is optional, the defaults should be
     OK as long as you're not making a special config. You can:
     - disable PNG support (config.h)
     - disable TTF support (config.h)
     - change the themes directory (config.h)
     - dynamically link to klibc (Makefile, K_SHARED) 
       This is not recommended, the space gain will be minimal and you may
       create yourself some problems this way. Note that with the current
       versions of klibc, you have to put the exact same file you used during
       compile time into the kernel initramfs image. This is means, that if
       you're using another version of klibc than the one supplied within this
       package, you'll have to link it in ./libs and change LIBCSRC in the
       Makefile to point to these sources
     - enable debugging support (Makefile, DEBUG)
     - enable verbose output (Makefile, QUIET)
  3) make
  4) make install

 After a successful installation you'll have the following programs installed on
 your system:

 /sbin/splash_helper - the kernel helper, it's not meant to be used directly by 
                       the user
 /sbin/splash_util   - the fbsplash control utility, use this program to control
                       the fbsplash behaviour; this program is meant to be used
                       directly by the user and by the system scripts (which
                       will be the case if your distro's initscripts have
                       support for a boot-up progressbar, etc).
 /usr/sbin/splash_geninitramfs - an utility to make the process of creating
                                 initramfs images for fbsplash a little easier

 Usage:

 First you will have to get some fbsplash themes and place them in /etc/splash.
 Once you have done that, you can use splash_util to enable fbsplash on some of
 your virtual consoles. For example, to enable fbsplash on the first console
 and make it use the theme 'tux', you should use:

  # splash_util --vc=1 --theme=tux --cmd=setcfg
  # splash_util --vc=1 --theme=tux --cmd=setpic
  # splash_util --vc=1 --cmd=on

 For information about themes, making fbsplash work in the early stages of
 boot-up and other topics please refer to files in the docs/ subdirectory.

 For technical documentation on the kernel<->userspace fbsplash interface
 please refer to <kernel sources>/Documentation/fb/splash.txt.

 Any comments, suggestions and bug-reports are appreciated.

Michal Januszewski
<spock@gentoo.org>

