Re: XFree 4.0 drivers
On Sun, Sep 10, 2000 at 03:16:14AM -0500, Branden Robinson wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 09, 2000 at 02:39:07PM +0200, Alain Schroeder wrote:
> > Is there any plan to split all the drivers into their own package?
>
> Not at this time. I thought about it a long time ago when I first started
> familiarizing myself with the XFree86 4 way of doing things, and rapidly
> came to the conclusion that this could lead us to a nightmarishly complex
> set of virtual packages. Consider that you need a driver for the card,
> some font rasterizers, a lot of people want double-buffering, VESA DDC
> chattering between the server and monitor, etc etc etc.
>
> There are boatloads of modules shipped in xserver-xfree86.
>
> Here's the big pro:
> * ONE package for EVERYONE, regardless of the video hardware they have.
> (Well, not quite. People left out in the cold by 4.x still have to use
> old 3.x servers. Oh well. It will still be largely true.)
>
> Here's the big con:
> * Size. Fortunately, while the package is huge now, it will get smaller
> for official release because I'll be stripping it. Right now
> everything is unstripped so I can get useful backtraces from people if
> need be.
>
> > I´m just asking, because it´s likely, that we will have non-free
> > x-server drivers... Well at least, if non-free still exists (I haven´t
> > really followed that discussion).
> >
> > Or there are any other ideas about the nvidia and mga drivers out there?
>
> As I understand it, 3rd party modules have to pick a name that isn't
> already in use by XFree86. Hence "nvidia" instead of XFree86's "nv".
>
> So I imagine people can just install xserver-module-nvidia (if and when
> such a package exists) or whatever and edit their /etc/X11/XF86Config(-4)?
> file appropriately.
Hello, ...
not sure but it would also be usefull for making debs out of in-developpment
drivers or other usch things that didn't got into the latest xfree used for
the debian packages.
Maybe a thingy using the diversion/alternative stuff (i don't know about it
really) would permit to move the /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/glint_drv.o
out of the way and install the packages own in place ?
Same would go for man page of the driver and some other documentation stuff.
This way we can get third party/non-free/whatever drivers installed, and still
have the benefit of having a lone xserver-xfree86 package.
I suppose this kind of thing would only be real usefull for folk who know what
they do with the package, and i don't know how well dpkg will handle a lot of
such packages lying around.
Also the non-free driver come with a kernel module for DRI. What about those.
I hope this time i am not being too stupid, ...
Friendly,
Sven LUTHER
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