linux-kernel - Re: arch/i386/boot rewrite, and all the hard-coded video cards

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Date:	Tue, 01 May 2007 22:32:54 +0200
From:	Rene Herman <rene.herman@...il.com>
To:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
CC:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	"Eric W. Biederman" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>,
	Andi Kleen <ak@...e.de>, Jeff Garzik <jeff@...zik.org>,
	Jeremy Fitzhardinge <jeremy@...p.org>
Subject: Re: arch/i386/boot rewrite, and all the hard-coded video cards

On 05/01/2007 04:43 AM, Linus Torvalds wrote:

> Doubtful. The Tseng ET4000 cards may have been the gold standard in 1991, 
> but I don't think most people even _remember_ them. And if they have them 
> in their machines, they probably tend to run a Linux-1.2 kernel, or at 
> least not care a lot about graphics (ie they may have an old card in the 
> machine just because they need VGA to boot, rather than because they care 
> about Tseng).

My 386 has an ET4000. An ET4000AX/W32 even. And you bet it's because it's 
nifty! Okay, I'll admit the thing doesn't currently run a 2.6 kernel...

The answer will probably be "no", but would this be a good point to ask if 
this would be a good time to not bother with the mode switching code at all 
anymore? I'm generally rather appreciative of old gunk but I haven't cared 
for that specific feature for ages now. I personally don't use framebuffer, 
but I would if I wanted more than the plain VGA my BIOS sets up.

I'd consider keeping anything but VESA 1.2 (which that ET4000 and most all 
other Super VGA cards of the era also do!) nonsensical and as far as I'm 
concerned this includes all the VGA modes with the strange number of lines; 
a 43/60-line VGA screen is too horrible to look at anyway...

Rene.

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