text mode is pretty fast but slower than Minix's was. I think part of the reason is that most distros don't use the native text console but use their own (they

text mode is pretty fast but slower than Minix's was. I think part of the reason is that most distros don't use the native text console but use their own (they draw their own characters because 80x25 is not really handy on a 27" display :P ). And I think GPU's don't really optimise this mode like the DOS ones did. After all, this mode is only ever used for the boot screen (and these days often not even there!). Or perhaps for ESXi or Linux servers, not an important usecase and not something people really interact with on a daily basis anyway.