Baslinux mailing list

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

On Wed, 8 Jun 2005, David Moberg wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "sindi keesan" <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>
>
> > I had thought about running WP5.1 in dosemu but
> > dosemu has too many other problems.
>
> Do you have glibc 2.2? If so, have you tried the "official"
> binaries from the dosemu website?

That is what we are using, precompiled binaries for 2.2.5 (from SW8.1) but 
I think we are going to have to compile from the latest source code to fix 
the missing characters.  I did not see anything precompiled when I looked 
under developers' versions (1.3.2 and 1.3.1, which fixed these problems).


> > > I don't think Alt-F2 does anything if you aren't using virtual
> > > terminals. There is a deallocvt program which lets you remove
> > > virtual terminals.
> >
> > But I DO use virtual terminals - four of them.  chvt can be used
> > instead of Alt-F2.  I am giving up on dosemu for a year or so.

> If you used xdosemu, would this prevent the problem? X needs Ctrl
> to switch VTs.

I want to use WP5.1 on a TTL monitor, not under X.  I have never found a 
way to display both underlines and bold on a VGA monitor even in DOS.  It 
drives me crazy to see things red instead of underlined.  I suppose I 
could try using the mono X server - does that show underlines?  But with 
both monitors plugged in, it would probably display on the VGA monitor.

> > We heard a demo but did not know about MIDI files at the time.  So
> > in order for my downloaded midi files to sound good I should get a
> > grand piano.
>
> Well, if you want them to sound really good, you hire an orchestra to
> perform them for you. :)
>
> > Would an electronic keyboard also work?
>
> If it has the proper MIDI ports.

I will look at my friend's keyboard.  Our curbside special with four 
octaves is unlikely to have any ports except for the power cube.


> > Despite not having a DMA 5, 6, or 7, the Vibra16X plays 8-bit sound
> > hissy and 16-bit sound much nicer.  Maybe you can play 16-bit but
> > not record 16-bit sound?
>
> Hmm. It seems so. This is very interesting.

What the Vibra16X appears to be lacking is 'full duplex', the ability to 
play and record at the same time, for which you supposedly need a high DMA 
channel.  The Opti is set to two different low DMA channels, the Vibra16X 
both DMAs to the same channel.  Another site said you can play and record 
at the same time if both channels are the same.  I don't follow all this.
Unless I start recording I won't try too hard to follow.


> > The opti sounded a lot better when we moved the jumpers from
> > speaker to line and turned up the speakers instead.  It has no heat
> > sink.  Loud volumes sounded very buzzy with speaker out.
>
> In other words, classic transistor distortion (when overdriven)?

No matter how low we turned the volume, with jumpers set to 'speaker' it 
sounded bad.  Dying transistor?  There are no heat sinks on the card. 
One card has heat sinks but the 'speaker out' port is absent.  Several 
cards have heat sinks and four ports (line and speaker out).  Some have a 
choice of speaker or line and no heat sinks, and we will set those to 
line to avoid overheating.

I still have to test a few other cards in DOS but they insist on Win31 for 
installation.  The Opti931 did not really need it, and the Opti929 
actually has a DOS installation routine but you need to choose to install 
from A: or B: !  (Or C to cancel).  I did not get the 929 working in linux 
but perhaps isapnp will help.



> > At one point I got some message (from isapnp?) about 4 bytes of
> > resource conflict at 534.  There was something in teh config file
> > that I got without -rc about minimum irq being 534, but 530 still
> > worked.
> >
> > So the solution to getting a pnp card to work is first to run
> > isapnp, comment out the parts you do not want, then look up the
> > correct io setting when nothing listed in the .conf file actually
> > works.
>
> OK. But I don't need any of this, since my two cards work correctly
> with the defaults.

My cards work correctly WITHOUT running isapnp (except for midi).

> > So far, it does not look like there is any need to initialize SB or
> > Opti cards in DOS before using them in linux, or to use isapnp
> > (unless you expect to get the correct settings from it, which I did
> > not).  The exception is playing midis with AWE (and probably with
> > FM synthesis, which I have not tried in linux yet).
>
> The OPL3 needs initialization to work correctly. Also, my Vibra16,
> at least, needs isapnp before MPlayer will work.

I know mine does not need to be initialized to work with play and mpg123 - 
I will test with Mplayer but I think that also worked.

> David
>
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keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org