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Re: debian



on Sun, Jun 22, 2003 at 01:07:21AM +1200, cr (cr@orcon.net.nz) wrote:
> On Saturday 21 June 2003 21:55, Alex Malinovich wrote:

> Well, I have no conscience whatever about stealing Micro$oft software.
> The way I look at it, if I'm forced to use their software for any
> particular application it's because M$ have managed to coerce almost
> everybody into using it, squashed any competition, and got obscenely
> rich by doing so.  However, other shareware I do have a conscience
> about, I've even registered some.   ;)

Fact is, you're *still* benefiting MSFT by using their software:

   http://kmself.home.netcom.com/Rants/piracy.html

> > And, just so I can join in the foray of the auto-detect flame-fest here,
> > if a user doesn't know his hardware well enough to be able to pick it
> > from a list he shouldn't be installing an OS in the first place.
> 
> Errr, *wrong*.    Much of my gear is second-hand, and of course the
> first thing the original owners invariably do is lose the manuals.  :(
> My current motherboard is the first one I've ever had  a manual for,
> ditto my S3 VGA card, and I've *never* owned any monitor of a brand
> that's been listed in the 'X' config options.    

It's a simple matter, in most cases, to dig up the information you need.

First step is to take a look at the physical cards and note significant
markings.  

Second:  look at dmesg output, /proc/pci and other informational
sources, most abstracted into my system-info script (see prior post in
this thread). 

Google the identifiers you've found.  You'll turn up the specifics, in
many cases including online manuals.


> Both with RedHat and Debian, I've found that  'X' configuration was
> the biggest single problem.   Both RedHat *and* Deb failed to come up
> with any monitor setting that would work, failed to start X with
> 'generic' monitor, and I had to experiment extensively with XF86Config
> before it would work.   In fact, if I run RedHat I use my S3 card
> because I can't make it work with my on-board SiS/AGP video driver;
> with Debian it's the opposite.  

SiS has a bad track record.  As with too many vendors, they're slow to
present specs and configuration information, though this situation
continues to improve.  There's information on SiS X driver support here:

    http://www.winischhofer.net/linuxsis630.shtml

> Yet, both RedHat and Mandrake's graphical installers and Debian's penguin 
> logo display fine with *whatever* card I'm running - what is it the 
> installers know that they won't tell X config ?    :(

Framebuffer != X11.


Peace.

-- 
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com>        http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
 What Part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?
   Comic tragedy:  MobiliX sued by Asterix publisher over 'iX' trademark
     http://tuxmobil.org/mobilix_asterix.html

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