BETA Xserver for TGA Available

Jay Estabrook - Alpha Migration Tools - LINUX Project (jestabro@brillig.amt.tay1.dec.com)
Fri, 02 Feb 96 18:32:19 -0500


On gatekeeper.dec.com:pub/DEC/Linux-Alpha/X11, find:

axpbin-Xtga-BETA-0.0.gz /* compressed binary of the server */
axpbin-Xtga-BETA-0.0.README /* IMPORTANT README for the server */

PLEASE, *do* read the README, it has important configuration information, as
well as some details re: what's missing/delayed/buggy in this version ofthe
server. But a few details are prolly not out of place here, to save time for
those considering its use.

1. ONLY 8-bit TGA is currently supported! Sorry, I know there's a bunch of
24+ plane boards out there begging for X, but I only have so much time.
I *think* it's not going to be too hard to add in the glue and activate
it, but don't hold you breath.

2. it supports only *ONE* resolution at a time, unlike the normal XFree86
servers; this may be difficult to overcome, but again, more time is
needed for investigation/solution.

3. changing from X to a virtual console (Alt-F1,etc) and back is currently
not recommended, and is very *un*-graceful, though it doesn't crash. If
you get to a VC and then the video/colors/text get *really* strange, you
can toggle back to X via the normal Alt-F7 and select "Refresh Screen"
from a menu to rebuild the X screen. Shutting down is fine, it's stay in
kernel text mode just fine one the X server goes away... :-)

4. Hardware cursor support is currently "delayed", as the software cursor
seems to work just fine; THANK YOU, XFree86!!! :-) :-)

5. there are only certain resolutions and dotclocks supported; the list of
them is in the standard "Modeline" entries in the README file's copy of
a working XF86Config file for TGA. The TGA *does* have a programmable
clock, but I don't have the specs or time to devote to that task, so I
took the easy way out and provide only those sets whose parameters are
known to me.

So, bear with me, help out by BETA testing if you can/dare, and send in any
problems you see *with details* to jestabro@amt.tay1.dec.com. I've already
received the first, and I know there are going to be more... :-)

BTW, if you run "ico" with the following parameters:

-faces -noedges
-colors red green blue cyan yellow magenta gray white
-dbl -geometry 600x600

a UDB (Universal Desktop Box) with TGA will do it *faster* than an EB164 with
fancy S3-968+VRAM!!! Of course, the UDB gets blown away by compute intensive
stuff, but the TGA can really fly... :-)

--Jay++

NOTE: UDB is the preferred name for the MULTIA platform when running LINUX,
as the "MULTIA" name is closely associated with Windows NT.

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Jay A Estabrook Alpha Migration Tools
Mailstop: TAY1-2 (DTN) 227-4202
Digital Equipment Corp. (external) (508) 952-4202
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