[mdlug] Looking for suggested brand of PCI video card(s) for Compaq Alpha and Debian

[Raymond McLaughlin]

Ingles, Raymond wrote:
>> From: mike bader
> 
> 
>> Subject: [mdlug] Looking for suggested brand of PCI video card(s) for
>> Compaq Alpha and Debian
> 
>>From what I gather, most PCI cards *should* work, though 3D acceleration
> almost certainly won't. 3D *definitely* won't work on Alpha for Nvidia
> cards. I think I can dig up a Matrox card that's supposed to work.
> (http://www.alphalinux.org/docs/fbcon_faq.shtml) You can have it for
> free, assuming I can find it. I'll check tonight.
> 
>  Sincerely,
> 
>  Ray Ingles                                            (313) 227-2317

I have an old Voodoo card that might work. I have looked at Mikes
machine. I works OK in text mode but we haven't been able to get X
running. This is the latest Debian we're talking about here. The current
video card is an ATI of some sort, I think an early rage. Trying to
start X with any of the ati drivers resulted in a device not found error.

The output of lspci -vv named a frame buffer module for this device.
Loading this module (it was not loading on boot) and then starting X
with any of the ati drivers selected (in xorg.conf) still gave a device
not found error. Selecting framebuffer as the driver, without the module
loaded likewise gives such an error. (I writing this is all from
memory). Selecting framebuffer as the driver, with the module loaded
would light up the screen and lock the machine.

Mike might be persuaded to bring this machine in to the Linux SIG
meeting at the Oak Park Library next Tuesday evening. A topic has not
been yet determined.