[cooker-amd64] Re: agpgart

[Duncan]

Gwenole Beauchesne posted
<68F33DE4-2A12-11D8-9DDA-003065C7D858@mandrakesoft.com>, excerpted below, 
on Tue, 09 Dec 2003 07:39:16 +0100:

> Hi,
> 
>> I've been trying to track down why have such poor output from glxgears,
>> and it would appear that AGP is not actually being loaded -
> 
> Sorry, agpgart is currently builtin, i.e. not as a module.
> 
>> (**) NVIDIA(0): Option "NvAGP" "1"
> 
> But this option works because otherwise the FX5200 here would not work 
> at all (even with "nv" module).
> 
>> Is there a reason for this, or am I going in the wrong direction?
> 
> There is none, propagation errors. Fixed in next kernel update.

I never bothered with the details, but did note b4 I switched off of
Nvidia (hopefully until they come around and start playing nice with open
source, at least providing enough of the hardware interface info to run
the card's main features like dual output on those cards that have it),
that they provide their own AGPGART, for some cards.  

Thus, it's not a good idea to build the open source version into the
kernel as it can cause problems for those that want to run the nvidia
closed source driver and have a card that works better when running the
nvidia gart as well.  I'd reconsider building it in, and run it as a
module instead, so it can be unloaded and the nvidia version loaded.

OTOH, if I had my druthers, Mandrake and any other decently supportive of
open source distrib (I can imagine SCO would therefore be an exception
<g>) would basically ignore the closed source drivers, period, leaving
folks on their own with support from NVidia, if they wanted to support it,
for running their closed source stuff.  Having to recompile the kernel to
do it would be about right.. allowing those that REALLY wanted to to do
so, but providing just the right disincentive not to run the closed source
stuff, if they didn't want to bother..  However, I understand such a
hardline stance doesn't a popular distrib make, so..

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." --
Benjamin Franklin