[ltp] Newbie video questions

[Alex Deucher]

On 8/29/06, Matt Graham <danceswithcrows@usa.net> wrote:
> On Tuesday 29 August 2006 08:19, after a long battle with technology,
> funkydoctor wrote:
> > I would consider myself a Windows "power user",
>
> Careful.  Most of the time, people who call themselves "power users"
> really mean "I am a big PITA to tech support".
>
> > Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper) on my old IBM Thinkpad A20p.
> > My first problem is, simply put, that I can't use Fn+F7 anymore.
> > The IBM Thinkpad A20p comes with the ATI Rage Mobility 128
> > graphics chip,
>
> Put the line
>
> Option "Display" "BIOS"
>
> into your /etc/X11/xorg.conf 's Device section, restart X.  This has
> been used for r128 cards for a long time.
>
> > as I understand it this chip is not supported by the ATI proprietary
> > driver (?). So is there (a reasonably simple) way to achieve 2D/3D
> > hardware acceleration for my video card?
>
> You've already got 2D accel if you're using the r128 X module.  3D
> acceleration requires building and loading the r128 kernel module and
> probably agpgart, and probably making some changes to xorg.conf .  I
> forget what those are; it's been a while since I've used my old
> r128-equipped Thinkpad.  Whatever you do, it won't help that much--the
> r128 is not nearly as fast as newer cards.  HTH,
>

r128 3d accleration should be enabled by default on most modern
distros released in the last 5 years or so.  check glxinfo and your
xorg log.

Alex

> --
>    Some people are alive only because it is traditional to keep
>    torturing the poor guy about being lost in the machine room with an
>    IBM water buffalo.  --MegaHAL, trained on ASR
> There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see