Baslinux mailing list

[James Miller <jamtat AT mailsnare.net>]

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003, Day Brown wrote:

> James Miller wrote:
> > I'd set up for an S3 ViRGE/VX 86C988.  
> I've had trouble with that one too. IIRC, Mandrake dont run it either.
> Corel (debian 2.2.1) does pretty well with it, but you havta scoot the
> monitor image way over to make it fit right.
> 
Well, I think I've finally figured out what xvidtune does and how to use
it (generates a set of modelines that you then can copy and paste into 
your XF86Config file).  I think that might fix this problem - which I've
also run into in this, and other, situations using Linux.  We'll see about
that . . .

> Would it be possible to get the x server drivers out of a working
> install and paste them into BL?

I don't know.  Maybe Steven could address that.  I'd guess - but it's only
a guess - that it could happen that the xserver would be expecting to find
something installed in some place (that got installed there along with the
xserver) and, not being able to find it there, couldn't run.  That's been
my experience with Win, but I don't know how far the analogy can be
applied to Linux.

Anyway, I made a last desparate stab at something I hadn't yet tried after
sending off my initial post to the list: accepting the default refresh
rates the XF86Setup program presented me with (31.5 H, 60 V).  At 640x480
resolution, 32bit color, it now works.  But here's the kicker: I've got an
experimental Debian (Sid) install on that same machine on a different
partition - so it's got a very new xfree86 install on it (4.2 something, I
believe).  So, I thought, I can just use the XF86Config file from my BL
install on that partition, and save myself some grief in getting X going
on Debian.  Well, that same XF86Config that works on BL (xfree86 3.3, I
believe), doesn't work on Debian.  Even generating a new XF86Config file
on Debian (with the xf86config program) using those same values doesn't
get me a working X display on Debian.  My only guess is that the code for
the s3v xserver is really buggy - not surprising, since they probably
didn't get any cooperation from the manufacturer of this card when they
wrote the xserver for it.  And, of course it's not being improved on,
because who wants to use a lousy old 4MB PCI video card these days?

Ah, the wonders of technology . . .

James