Will someone post a small article on the list telling people what
FBDev really is? What are the features? The pitfalls and how does
it manage to work on every goddamned graphic chip in the world?
I just now configured the same for myself. And it worked for me.
So it follows that it can work for everyone. So here is the detailed
summariesed procedure.
1. Fire up Xconfigurator from your machine and choose your troblesome
card [or the closest you get to it]. Most cards are supported
in Xfree86 project but still people manage to lay their hands on
most obsolete and latest cards [the latest are more problematic,
naturally].
2. Choose your monitor.
3. Exit the configurator without trying to start x from within. Skip the
step.
4. Open the /etc/X11/XF86Config file in a simple text editor and go
straight to the
section called 'Screen'. Put "FBDev" against Driver, and "default"
against
Modes.
5. Go to the "Monitor" section of the file and check the identifier.
Replace the value against 'Monitor' [in the 'Screen' section] with
this identifier.
6. Go to the "Device" section of the file and check the identifier.
Replace the value against 'Device' [in the 'Screen' section] with
this identifier.
7. Now you have the changes made in the file. It is all set to take over
the FBDev for display. Changes need to be told to Linux also. So one
creates a symbolic link X
directing to XF86_FBDev
by
$ ln -sf /usr/X11/bin/XF86_FBDev /etc/X11/X <enter>
abd this will use FBDev for rendering graphics now.
8. But the kernel is yet to know about this. So I think we need to
reboot the machine and at the time of lilo boot: pass the following
option..
Lilo boot: linux 3 vga=NNN
Where NNN is a number. The decimal number directly decodes to
resolutions from 640x480
to 1024x768 and even higher [wo main bhool gaya 1152xSomething wala
figure] and colour depths range from 8 to 32 bpp.
[Note one thing, S3 Trio can not support 32 bpp in any case due to
their some hardware
limitation, so I am told. The documentation also says so. So people
using this card
should not try to achieve 32 bpp colourdepth.
Another thing. An insight into this may help. If FBDev successfully
runs on most problematic cards, then it is probably taking much
processing load OFF the card. In that case, if it is bypassing this
32bpp barrier... hmm.. will it be possible to achieve 32 bpp on S3
Trio? Those who have used this combination will know better. You are
requested to post the same. as for my experimenting, it has just begun.
So you will have a lot of references coming up as I move ahead with
this combination.]
9. Linux will boot into indicated mode and the text will be smaller,
prettier and a logo will be displayed at the top left corner. It is
still no guarrantee that your X will
run properly, unless you have specified 'default' [as Khader
recommends] against 'Modes' in the 'Screen' section of the
/etc/X11/XF86Config file. [I believe I had a clash between the
arguments I supplied to kernel at the bootup time and this entry
in my configfile. No wonder it didn't work till two am in the night.
then I read Khader's comment more carefully and it worked in 30
seconds flat]
This runs your system in graphic mode using FBDev server. Now is the
though time for those who wish to enlighten curious me and others about
the following doubts.
1. Is it possible to cycle through all possible display modes, retaining
colourdepth? Like XF86_SVGA?
2. The server is slower on S3 Trio 3d/2X AGP card with 8 MB RAM than an
S3 64 V2/Dx PCI 4 MB VRAM card, running XF86_SVGA. Is there a way to
speed this up.
3. The running FBDev server runs my monitor, capable of 1024x768 at 75
Hz refresh, at 60 Hz. The modelines for 1024x768 at this refresh rate
are present in the configfile. Is there a different way of telling
the server about the monitor? Does it recognize these same modelines
or works on a conservative setting?
Any links will be appreciated but those who answer will get a dinner!
Thanks a zillion to Venu, Khader, Atul, Dr Sharukh, Shanu for their
help.
Rohit
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