Re: PCI Graphics/Video Card for Malta Board?

["Kevin D. Kissell" <kevink@mips.com>]

From: "Jun Sun" <jsun@mvista.com>
> Geert Uytterhoeven wrote:
> 
> > On Mon, 27 May 2002, Steven J. Hill wrote:
> > 
> >>Kevin D. Kissell wrote:
> >>
> >>>I'd like to get a video-capable graphics card up
> >>>and running on a MIPS Malta board (therefore
> >>>PCI), ideally something mainstream like ATI.
> >>>Does anyone on the list have any positive or
> >>>negative recommendations in terms of cards
> >>>and particularly in terms of the degree to which
> >>>the drivers (and PCI set-up) have been ported
> >>>to MIPS/Linux?  I'll do what I must, but I hate
> >>>re-inventing the wheel.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>I can think of two things. First, a lot of graphics cards
> >>rely on BIOS calls to be set up before the operating system
> >>even boots. Second, I would stick to graphics cards that
> >>have framebuffer support in the kernel as you stand at least
> >>half a chance that those cards don't rely so heavily on a
> >>peecee bios. Just my $.02.
> >>
> > 
> > Even then, most frame buffer device drivers rely on the firmware (PC BIOS or
> > SPARC/PPC Open Firmware) having set up the video card.
> > 
> > One of the exceptions is matroxfb, 
> 
> 
> Steve Longerbeam has a fb driver with BIOS init for ATI Xpert98 card, which 
> you can still buy.

Yeah, but it's a pretty wimpy card (8MB) and has no TV output.
  
> Dan Malek also wrote a driver for MQ200.  

Which is essentially a handheld/webphone graphics chip,
for which the documentation is only available under NDA.
Not terribly useful for me, thanks.

> If you ask  around, I am sure you can the patch somewhere.

I *am* asking around - that's why I started this thread.

> 
> For a while, I also had 3dfx voodoo3 working.  Not sure about its status now. 
>   You can find the patch at http://www.medex.hu/~danthe/tdfx/.

3dfx, in case you hadn't heard, folded some time ago.

So it sounds like the Matrox G450 PCI is really the only
game in town...

            Kevin K.