Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

On Thu, 31 Mar 2005, David Moberg wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "sindi keesan" <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>
>
> > The new S3 card in this different computer did not work in the
> > framebuffer modes, "undefined mode number".  Can anyone else check
> > out this kernel for the S3 patch?
>
> Apparently Xvesa works with these cards. Getting X to run on those
> cards was why I built this kernel. It looks like that purpose has
> already been fulfilled.

Maybe some people prefer the looks of the framebuffer text modes?

If you rebuild that kernel again, besides leaving out the S3 stuff, could 
you add vfat and CD-ROM support?  These VESA 2.0 cards are generally found 
in computers with plenty of RAM.  Also I don't think you need to combine 
vesafb kernel with support for Matrox modules because the matrox does not 
seem to work with this kernel and should have a different one.

What is vfb.o?

The kernel will be useful for people with newer video that does 
framebuffer but NOT Xvesa.

> > > Okay, maybe tomorrow or this weekend.  I spent all day on testing
> > > first the cards and then the software and need a break/
> >
> > I will take the break tomorrow, I guess.
>
> Whenever. It looks like this project is finished.

Unless you want to recompile the kernel as above, and compile another one 
for Matrox (not modular, and omitting vesafb support but including all the 
things relevant to matrox - maybe with the specific matrox cards as a 
module but the rest built-in, since nobody would use the kernel except for 
matrox).  See Framebuffer HOWTO for details.

I could also try to do this but it would take me a few days, judging from 
what it took to get sound working (I also had to compile in something for 
a buggy motherboard, eventually).  And I don't need to use the matrox as a 
second video card - I am happy with MDA.

> > I was unable to properly decompress vesafb.tar.gz with BL3:
> > After matroxfb it said "invalid tar magic".
> >
> > mdacon.o should have come out next.  In BL2 it was 1/2 the size of
> > the previous version.  I copied over xfbdev from BL2 to BL3.
>
> Looks like Geocities at its finest. Is the tarball the right size?
> If not, wget -c if you want the whole thing.

The first time I downloaded I got gibberish but on the second download I 
got a file that uncompressed just fine in BL2 but not in BL3.  So I just 
copied over the modules I was missing instead.  Maybe what you used to 
compress made a file that the busybox tar of BL3 cannot handle?  I copied 
vesafb.tar.gz directly between linuxes on the same hard drive which has 
never given me problems before.

> > There are some files in the package which are just lists of modules.
>
> They have no function, and are the result of an overeager cp command.
I will delete them.


You posted three more times.  Will go look.