> > This keeps getting mentioned, but I'm not sure all the pieces are in
> > place. Yes, VESA 2.0 is "32-bit". Does that actually mean it's usable from
> > within Linux?
>
> 32-bit protected mode? I don't see any reason why not. It works
> in Win95 (which, IIRC, was the reason for making it 32-bit).
That's piece of information is hardly useful. Linux could be doing any
number of things that Win95 that would prevent VESA 2.0 calls from
working.
> > More importantly, do _any_ cards have VESA 2.0 information
> > built into the ROM? I hope I don't need to point out that a DOS VESA TSR
> > (32-bit or not) is quite useless to Linux.
>
> *All* the new ones do. The one I'm using right now (~3 months old)
> does, for example.
I'm seeing conflicting information on this. And the Hercules Dynamite card
I purchased not _that_ long ago doesn't have VBE 1.2, let alone 2.0, in
the ROM.
I don't doubt that it would be useful to use the VESA calls if they are
available, I just doubt they are widely available.
Don't forget, VESA is hardly a universal panacea -- if it was, this whole
thread wouldn't be happening.
-- Kenneth Albanowski (kjahds@kjahds.com, CIS: 70705,126)