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[James Miller <jamtat AT mailsnare.net>]

Thanks for the info, Sindi.  Could the upshot of this post be summarized
as follows?:

If you use svgalib for applications like Links2, zgv, seejpg etc, try
adding the line "chipset VESA" to your libvga.config file (found in /?/? )
for better color depth and/or higher resolution.  You may need to create
this file if it's not already on your system.

Does that more or less encapsulate your main points?  The "vgatest" you
mention is a DOS utility, right?

James

On Fri, 2 Apr 2004, Sindi Keesan wrote:

> SVGAlib is used to provide graphics for links2 (graphical mode wihtout X),
> zgv, seejpeg, bmv (a ghostcript viewer) and is a lot easier than setting
> up X and also smaller and faster than even Xvesa.
>
> But it does not always give very high resolution and color depth.  I
> recall at least one other user writing in about poor resolution.
>
> On my S3 Vision 964, which goes to 1600 res in DOS and X (s3 server and
> probably Xvesa but I can't test on my 1280 monitor), I was unable to do
> more than 640x480x256 colors in links2 or seejpeg or zgv.
>
> You can see what modes are supported by links2 if you type
> links2 -g -mode 1 and it tells you 1 is not a valid mode and lists the
> ones that are.
> FOr the S3 it listed only modes up to 256 colro and 640 resolution.
>
> A newer SiS chip worked only at 640x480x16 max in links2, and did not do
> seejpeg or zgv at all.  I think they require 256 colors.
>
> A Trident, a Tseng, and an ATI would not work with seejpeg, and only the
> Tseng worked with zgv.  A Cirrus showed blue instead of multicolor with
> seejpeg.  Two other Cirruses worked fine with seejpeg.
>
> I eventually found a doc file for svgalib that said to put the line
> chipset VESA in libvga.config, which is a file created when you installed
> svgalib.tgz.   Links2 will run without it, but also without a mouse.
> You can make your own file (mouse PS2 might be enough).
>
> JP's version of links 2.1.9 was statically compiled and worked (mouseless)
> without sgvalib (or the jpeg png and tiff files from elflibs).  I got one
> from Delilinx links2.1.14 which seems to include ssl as well as javascript
> but is not static.  I installed svgalib, was able to get the mouse working
> by choosing the correct lines in there, and today added chipset VESA.
>
> The Trident, which did 1600 in DOS and claimed to do 1600 with SVGAlib
> (run vgatest from the package) would only test out at 640 16 colors.
> The interlaced modes all gave a black screen and Ctrl-C exited it.
> With chipset VESA it now displays 1024 resolution at 64K colors, same as
> Xvesa (which might also do 1280 or 1600, I did not check).
>
> The SiS  - vgatest said it only did up to 640x480x16, which was correct.
> With the VESA driver it goes to 1280 at 64K.  It is a new chip with 8M RAM
> and probably does 1600 or more in DOS or with Xvesa.
>
> So these cards are now usable with LInks2.
>
> I then checked out the S3 Vision 964 which did 256 colors in SVGAlib in
> native mode (so worked with seejpeg and zgv, in 256 colors) and vgatest
> now indicated that it would do 36 modes including 1024 16M (which is not
> possible with a 2M card).  I tried that and it went black and I had to
> reboot.  I tried 1024-64K and it looked good until I tried to exit and I
> got a pattern of green steps and had to reboot.  I tried 640x480 (I forget
> the color depth - 256?) and it went black and I tried to exit and a faint
> white moving pattern appeared and I had to reboot.
>
> To summarize - if links2 graphical is not giving you more than 640
> resolution, try adding chipset VESA to libvga.config, then run vgatest and
> actually test out all the modes as they might not really work.
> And S3 or Trident or Cirrus or Alliance cards can different among
> themselves.  Not all cards support all VESA modes, and those that do 1600
> in DOS may do only 1024 in SVGAlib VESA.
>
> I will be trying out the Tseng and ATI next, both of which worked at 800
> but not higher resolution with SVGAlib.
>
> A second Trident (without VESA mode) looked like the first, mostly, same
> date (1994) but would do 256 colors in 1024 resolution and might do better
> in VESA mode.
>
> These all have VESA 1.2 and 2M RAM.  Except for the Tseng they all work
> well with Xvesa.  The Tseng does okay at 800.
>
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