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On Mon, 24 Mar 2008, baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

> Message from Steven
> ===================
> Sindi wrote:
> > zgv runs out of memory at 16M or 32M but works
> > at 48MB on a 1.5MB jpg.
>
> xli (the default image renderer in BL3) happily
> displays a 1.6mb jpg with 16mb RAM and no swap.
>
> > links2 at 1024 (svgalib) needed the 64MB.

Thanks.  I don't understand why 48MB was not enough for links to display a 
1.6MB jpeg.

I will run this test again with a 16MB DIMM instead of mem=16M, which is 
having odd effects on Xvesa and framebuffer, then install BL3 and BL2 to 
the pentium laptop with 16MB (via network connection by adding the 
required pcmcia modules after booting BL3 floppy, or split loop BL3 to two 
files and copy via floppy disk, or use a parport zip drive in DOS to run 
BL3 loop, or install BL3 loop via parallel transfer cable in DOS.  If the 
computer had a USB port I could copy via David Moberg's USB floppy linux.) 
I can also compare speeds of links svgalib and X on the laptop.

Are all your laptops physically incapable of accepting cardbus cards?
My 166MHz won't take my cardbus network card, but the 233MHz will.

> I just tested this myself on an old laptop with
> 16mb RAM.  With swap turned off, links2 failed
> to display a 1.6mb jpg; however, after turning
> on swap, it happily displayed the jpg (which,
> I suppose, is a good example of the benefit of
> swap).  BTW, there wasn't a lot of swap activity:
> the HD light flashed a couple of times (each
> flash was less than a second).

How much memory did Xvesa, xinit, jwm, links2 and xli take on your laptop?
Sindi

> Cheers,
> Steven