Re: [Nolug] Comparative OS Stability

From: Jo Dillon <jo_at_groupinfo.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 08:54:43 -0400
Message-ID: <20030423085443.A7067@iceborg>

On Wed, Apr 23, 2003 at 01:42:47AM -0500, Ron Johnson wrote:
>
> This is why I don't understand the desire for DRI/frame buffer. When
> "regular" X hangs, I Ctrl-Break and restart X, but when using the fb,
> one must reboot the box.

  Well, DRI needs a kernel module because it does DMA to the card and
needs access to graphics card interrupts. It's a pretty minimal module
that does just that and leaves the complicated stuff to the userspace driver.
  The framebuffer is necessary on non-x86 hardware, since non-VGA graphics
cards don't support text mode so you /need/ something in the kernel to get
a console at all. On x86 it's useful since it centralises control of basic
graphics card state, so if your X server crashes, for example, it won't leave
you with a hosed console showing random blips of graphics instead of the
text you were expecting. Unfortunately, since actual hardware acceleration
lives in userspace whether you use the fb or not, it can still wedge the
display...

-- 
	Jo
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Received on 04/23/03

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