Skip to contentSkip to conversation

New 2.0.107 console scheme

DISCUSSION Jesse Barnes 4 participants 4 messages Jun 25, 1998 MIPS

lore
Share & tools
lore
#0 lore raw

Does the main kernel source tree have support for Indys natively, and if so, is the new fbcon method supported for the console?

Also, what's preventing Linux/SGI from running on O2s? I've got an R10k O2 sitting on my desk and I'd really like to see Linux running on it. I have device driver writing experience on PCs under DOS and NT, but I've never written one for a Unix type system. If there's something small that I could tackle to start out, that would be great.

Thanks,
Jesse Barnes

#1 lore raw
Quoted 2 lines

Does the main kernel source tree have support for Indys natively, and if so, is the new fbcon method supported for the console?

Almost and no. Its not fb_con thats relevant for the indy. fbcon is a directly accessible bitmapped display. The indy will need to use abscon directly to issue newport commands

#2 lore raw
Quoted 3 lines · Alan Cox

Almost and no. Its not fb_con thats relevant for the indy. fbcon is a directly accessible bitmapped display. The indy will need to use abscon directly to issue newport commands

So, um, yeah.
I've been wading through the newport docs and the X server code and docs and so forth for about 3 days now (good thing my boss is away!), and I'm starting to think that I might almost understand what I have to do.

Things that are still unclear:
- do we use /dev/graphics, and make that work correctly (it doesn't quite right now), or do we tweak the Newport HW from the X server directly for things like board detection, etc.?
- where is the mouse driver coming from?
- why does it always take me so long to read these silly docs?
- why are there no good examples of writing a non-frame-buffered X server?
- why haven't I yet bothered the people I work with at Netscape who worked on the original SGI X server?
- why (and I've looked closely at this for 5 hours this week) does EFS still do dumb things?

Thank you for listening. I feel much better now.

Mike

Signature · 1 line
452526.29 378522.30
#3 lore raw
Quoted 4 lines

- do we use /dev/graphics, and make that work correctly (it doesn't quite right now), or do we tweak the Newport HW from the X server directly for things like board detection, etc.?

Fix /dev/graphics if it is broken.

Miguel