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  • From: sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>
  • To: baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Cc:
  • Subject: Re: [BL] libvga for labtop display
  • Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 21:23:39 +0000 (UTC)

I just got zgv for BL1 to work with BL3, on a laptop, where I will use it as a viewer with links2 since links2 requires more than 4-bit color and the laptop is 4-bit mono VGA.

Copied /usr/lib/libvga.so.1 from Bl1 (this is actually a link to libvga.so.1.2.10).

Copied /etc/vga/libvga.config from Bl1 (with chipset VGA, which I will probably change by deleting or change to chipset XVESA depending on my video chip, and the mouse could be changed to PS/2)

Downloaded libvgagl.tgz for Bl1. pkg does not install it to /usr/lib but to whatever directory you are in so I moved it to /usr/lib. The package contains libvgagl.so.1.2.10 which I symlinked to libvgagl.so.1 as above.
I later found in / a readme file that said to put the library file in /usr/bin and execute ldconfig.

Downloaded and installed the zgv package for BL1. It installed itself properly to /usr/bin.

Perhaps Steven would be willing to package all four of these files and the zgv manpage into one large one with an install script, and put it at the BL3 add-on site for use as a viewer on laptops with 8-bit color, rather than using XVESA with 4-bit color. Links2 and lynx could use zgv as a viewer in CLI, 8-bit color. XVESA won't do 8-bit. But I only have zgv. working so far in 4-bit color.

zgv with the BL1 libraries works fine in BL3 plain VGA only - not as chipset XVESA. This screen does 800x600 16K colors in XVESA so the screen is not the problem.

Do I need a later or a different library from svga.tgz to use it with more colors? SW4.0 has libvga.so.1.3.1, BL1 libvga.so.1.2.10.

mouse PS2 not PS/2 in the .config file. Relevant for links2 if compiled to use svgalib but not for zgv.

The BL1 zgv manpage is in man format and would need to be converted to text for BL3. And moved from /man/man1 to /man.

While viewing an image I can type 4 to get greyscale, which looks better than 4-bit color. Straight lines and edges are less jagged. I was told this is still only 16 shades of grey, so perhaps zgv is using some different algorithm to convert from 16 million colors to grey instead of 16 colors. Anyway, I recommend greyscale for mono monitors not 4-bit color.

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004, sindi keesan wrote:

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 cce.zizkov AT volny.cz wrote:

Hi list,

how do I have to configure libvga in order to run zgv on
a labtop? I copied zgv, libvga, and /etc/vga/vga.conf from
another machine with BL2.


Apparently you need libvgagl as well as libvga (.so).

Zgv works when I connect the labtop to an ordinary monitor, but
running it with the laptop display freezes the system.

Any idea what I need to write into vga.conf?

Christof


I have a libvga.config not vga.conf, in /etc/vga for BL1. I had it working with seejpeg on a different computer in BL1 and plan to try svgalib soon with Bl3 on a mono VGA laptop and zgv or seejpeg as viewer for links2.


Here is Steven's default libvga.config from BL1 (which uses vgalib not svgalib):

mouse Microsoft (if you have a PS/2 mouse change to PS/2, I think)
HorizSync 31.5 31.5
VertRefresh 60 60
chipset VGA

My guess is that the monitor settings that you copied over are okay for the external monitor but not for the laptop screen. LCD screens are said to be slower than CRTs, at least the earlier ones.

chipset VGA will give you only 16 colors. If your video card can do Vesa 1.2, try removing the chipset line (for S3 or Cirrus) or substitute chipset XVESA (for Trident or Tseng, to get more colors/resolution).

whatvga2 (shareware) for DOS will tell you the video card's VESA compatibility, resolution, and color depth (unless it crashes, which is common).

Sindi
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