Date: Tue, 18 Feb 1997 14:45:19 +0100 (MET) From: Søren Schmidt <sos@ravenock.cybercity.dk> To: hm@kts.org Cc: ccsanady@nyx.pr.mcs.net, joerg_wunsch@uriah.heep.sax.de, FreeBSD-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: pcvt/132 columns Message-ID: <199702181345.OAA06809@ravenock.cybercity.dk> In-Reply-To: <m0vwmOw-00001YC@ernie.kts.org> from Hellmuth Michaelis at "Feb 18, 97 11:03:54 am"
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In reply to Hellmuth Michaelis who wrote:
> Chris Csanady wrote:
>
> > There would be a generic graphics driver of sorts, that is primarily
> > concerned with setting the state of the graphics board. I dont know the
> > specifics, but what I see is a kernel module for each of the cards that
> > implements a certain set of functions that set the state. These would
> > be well defined by the generic driver interface, and called when
> > necessary to switch resolutions, etc.
>
> In the PC world, there is already a generic graphis driver for setting the
> state of the board available, its called BIOS. The only problem the free
> BSD's have, is to access it.
>
> If we could access the BIOS, it would be responsible for switching back and
> forth into the card-supported video modes, and neither the console driver
> nor the X server would have to care anymore about it.
Right, then we only need to worry about how to set/get a pixel, how to
do banking/linear framebuffer, how to use eventual accellerator functions,
how to handle the palette chip, and god knows what I have forgotten...
This is a maze that magically grows on you on entrance. And now that the
first real 3D cards are going to hit us, I'm sure the HW guys has a new
load of fun stuff for us :( :(
There is work for plenty of KNOWLEDGEABLE people full time here...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Søren Schmidt (sos@FreeBSD.org) FreeBSD Core Team
Even more code to hack -- will it ever end
..
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