Re: [linux-fbdev] SGI VW 540, fbdev and pot pourii of faults and evidence..:-)

[Andy Isaacson <adi@mr-happy.com>]

On Wed, Aug 09, 2000 at 07:17:02PM -0400, James Simmons wrote:
> > I would also like to ask, if SGI is likely to make the hardware specs OSS
> > (for cobalt etc.), so that those with the skill (this is not my forte, but
> > I will try...), can stabilise this otherwise competent port.
> 
> Nope. SGI no longer supports Visual Workstations with linux. I don't even
> know if they support Visual Workstatiosn period. It would be nice if they
> did release the specs anyways :-)

SGI never did support the Visual Workstation 540 and 320 in Linux.
There did exist some code, but it was never a formal SGI product.

On Wed, Aug 09, 2000 at 07:28:07PM -0400, philloc@tigger.ccs.ornl.gov wrote:
> 	Anyone from SGI care to comment on why SGI has not released the
> specs to reasonable attention, since they are unable to help port? 

I don't speak for SGI, but in the past I think they said that the
specs basically do not exist in a releasable form.  Basically, the
hardware developers and software developers worked in the same hallway
and the development was of the form "hey Joe, how do I program the
zapbot to do foobaz?"

OK, maybe that's not quite accurate, but the result is that there are
no plans to release specs.

-andy
-- 
Andy Isaacson <adi@mr-happy.com> http://web.mr-happy.com/~adi/
I want to buy your broken laptop! http://web.mr-happy.com/~adi/laptop.html