From: skousong@bones.caedm.byu.edu (gary b skouson)
Subject: X windows video card support?
Date: 5 May 92 22:14:58 GMT
I looked at the files for X386 and it looked like the only
(well almost only) chipset that is suported is the et4000. I happen
to have a Trident 8900 (I know, I should have looked into things before
I bought it). How much work is it to change things to support this card?
First of all, how much disk space do I need to just get the video
support and then link with the rest? Also how much of the X386 stuff
depends on the et4000? I haven't hacked too much on video stuff, but
I sure would love to have X.
Gary Skouson
skousong@bones.caedm.byu.edu
From: roell@informatik.tu-muenchen.de (The Master of Symbolic Links)
Subject: Re: X windows video card support?
Date: Wed, 6 May 1992 09:21:16 GMT
>Mostly, the only difference between different SVGA chip sets from the
>programmer's perspective is how the bank switching and initialization
>is handled.
Yeah, in theory. The problem with the 8900 is that there are basically two
versions out there, the 8900B and the 8900C. The B rev supports only one
bank, and is therefor unusable for X386. The 8900C rev does support two
banks and therefor might work. The problem is only that setting the
video-modes for TVGA things isn't that trivial. First they must be programmed
TOTALLY different depending on the video-memory you have installed and then
you have to use some UNDOCUMENTED things (I have the driver, but it's not PD).
Thus I would forget about this project unless you are really a SVGA hacker.
Besides this the 8900 has only half of the speed as an Et4000 and therefor
it makes no sense to support this thing ...
- Thomas
--
===============================================================================
e-mail: roell@informatik.tu-muenchen.de
immer ?
nein, nicht immer ...
... aber immer oefter !
From: jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Jay Maynard)
Subject: Re: X windows video card support?
Date: 6 May 92 16:12:58 GMT
In article <1992May6.092116.26202@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE>
roell@informatik.tu-muenchen.de (The Master of Symbolic Links) writes:
>Besides this the 8900 has only half of the speed as an Et4000 and therefor
>it makes no sense to support this thing ...
Are you going to buy ET4000s for all of us who have Trident cards? If not,
then why shouldn't we support it (no, I'm not asking you to write the driver,
just to get out of the way of those who would)?
I have a Trident 9000; where does it fit into all of this?
--
Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC, PP-ASEL | Never ascribe to malice that which can
jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu | adequately be explained by a .sig virus.
"[...] have you noticed how many people have joined you on the back of
Rosinante to help subdue this particular windmill?" -- Dan Herrick
From: roell@informatik.tu-muenchen.de (The Master of Symbolic Links)
Subject: Re: X windows video card support?
Date: 7 May 92 08:16:56 GMT
>Are you going to buy ET4000s for all of us who have Trident cards? If not,
>then why shouldn't we support it (no, I'm not asking you to write the driver,
>just to get out of the way of those who would)?
Certainly not. All I'm saying is that it doesn't make that much sense. A SVGA
is almost intolerable slow for X. Even the faster ones. Thus it makes no
sence for me supporting all these lowend SVGA. That's for the same reason
that there is no support for 320x200x256 (I was asked for this, too).
You can do the driver support by yourself, if you want. But them again I
think after using X on a slow SVGA you are going to buy a faster SVGA
abyway. Most people I talked to wanted to upgrade to a faster graphics
board and found it quite fair to have only the *reasonables* supported.
>I have a Trident 9000; where does it fit into all of this?
All I said for the TVGA8900C is true for the TVGA9000. I simply wouldn't
go for it.
- Thomas
PS: I don't use X if I have only a SVGA plugged into my system. It's to slow..
--
===============================================================================
e-mail: roell@informatik.tu-muenchen.de
immer ?
nein, nicht immer ...
... aber immer oefter !
From: jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Jay Maynard)
Subject: Re: X windows video card support?
Date: 7 May 92 23:24:56 GMT
In article <1992May7.081656.4419@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE>
roell@informatik.tu-muenchen.de (The Master of Symbolic Links) writes:
>PS: I don't use X if I have only a SVGA plugged into my system. It's to slow..
Maybe you need to work on X' speed, then; DESQview/X runs just fine on my
Trident 9000...
--
Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC, PP-ASEL | Never ascribe to malice that which can
jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu | adequately be explained by a .sig virus.
"[...] have you noticed how many people have joined you on the back of
Rosinante to help subdue this particular windmill?" -- Dan Herrick