[cooker-amd64] Re: Re: agpgart

[Duncan]

TKM posted <000701c3be53$a2dab0f0$0600a8c0@C3PO>, excerpted below,  on
Tue, 09 Dec 2003 13:54:50 +0100:

> I'm getting confused... does nvidia's closed source amd64 driver works with
> agpgart other than NV's ?

[ Please consider the following URL in regards to your choice of where you
put your replies.  http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/gey_stv0.htm  Also note
that what you quoted had little to do with the question you asked. ]

In the NVidia README, it explains that some cards work better with the
NVidia agpgart while others work fine or better with the normal kernel
open source version.  They do have a list of what cards normally work
better with one or the other, but recommend compiling the kernel open
source version as a module rather than built-in, with the NVidia version
likewise, so you can dynamically load and unload each one and see which
works best.

At least that's what they had for their 32-bit drivers.  I assume it
continues to apply to the 64-bit drivers.  I do know that having the
normal kernel version compiled in would make it difficult to use the
NVidia AGPGART module..  <g>

What they said should be particularly good advice for a distribution
kernel, where the aim is to get it working at top quality with as much
hardware as possible. Thus, it makes little sense to me to have it
compiled into the kernel, meaning some folks  that might be better served
with the NVidia version can't use it without a kernel recompile, if that
is indeed the goal. OTOH, if one's goal is to favor open source, then
forcing those who want to use the closed source NVidia drivers and AGPGART
to recompile the entire kernel in ordered to do so isn't a big deal, and
might be desirable.

Since I prefer open source, or I wouldn't have bothered making the switch
from MSWormOS after 10 years, the latter fits my ideals just fine, but I'd
really expect Mdk to take a bit more pragmatic view, and am thus confused
the their choosing to compile it in, unless the facts of the situation
were simply overlooked in this case, which is of course possible, since we
are dealing with humans making the choices and we all know humans aren't
perfect.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
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