[systemd-devel] systemd-consoled: architecture

[Jonathan de Boyne Pollard]

There's an adage that holds that the best design is a stolen design.  On that
basis, I recommend reading about how the Hurd console system works.

  http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/hurd-daemons.html#console
  http://gnu.org./software/hurd/hurd/console.html

The Hurd people have, as I have, already been through the process that you're
going through, although their console client daemon doesn't render to
graphics mode.

Two notes:

 * We all steal from screen(1).  Hurd has a "server" that maintains the
   state of multiple virtual consoles, and a "client" that gathers raw input
   and that displays the text contents of the console on an output device.
 * Good old conservative Hurd goes with CTRL+ALT+F1 meaning "switch to
   virtual terminal #1".  Decide to go with something different, and you
   will open up a can of worms.  Or at least a can of questions from
   system administrators who ask why you didn't make the system extensible
   enough so that they could use WINKEY+L and CTRL+ALT+DEL as their
   "switch to the screenlock/greeter session" hotkeys.  (-: