Subject: Experimental X11R6 color kit release
To: None <port-mac68k@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Ken Nakata <kenn@eden.rutgers.edu>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 05/04/1996 21:56:37
Hiya,

I've put together a GENERIC kernel with Taras Ivanenko's grf driver
and a color X server as the NetBSD/mac68k X11R6 experimental color
kit.

Taras's grf driver loads the device driver off the on-board ROM of
your NuBus or PDS video card into the system memory and provides ways
to call the driver routines from user applications.  Because of this,
it probably does not work on the models with internal video (such as
IIci and IIci, except SE/30 - SE/30's internal video emulates NuBus
device's behavior with its declaration ROM).

The GENERIC.grf kernel displays some extra information about the grf
devices when it boots like this:

grf0 at nubus0load_current_mode: mode=80 data=0 page=0 base=fa000000
: 640 x 480 monochrome QD-compatible (Micron XCEED SE/306-48) display
grf1 at nubus0load_current_mode: mode=80 data=0 page=0 base=fee08040
: 512 x 342 monochrome QD-compatible (Macintosh SE/30 Internal Video) display

You can safely ignore the "load_current_mode: ..." part because it
shows the new grf driver works properly on your hardware.  It also
reinitializes all the grf devices in 1-bit mode.  When you run the
color X server, it first tries to initialize each grf device in 8-bit
color mode, or in 1-bit mode if fails in 8-bit mode.  So, you no
longer have to set the video mode before booting NetBSD with the color
kit.

Anyway, the URL is as usual plus an extra path -

ftp://puma.bevd.blacksburg.va.us/pub/NetBSD/X/colorkit/

and there are the following files in the directory:

-rw-r--r--  1 kenn  bsdwork  430791 May  4 13:47 GENERIC.grf.tar.gz
-rw-r--r--  1 kenn  bsdwork    5079 May  4 20:43 README.Xcolorkit
-rw-r--r--  1 kenn  bsdwork  629139 May  4 11:15 Xmacbsd.960503.tar.gz
-rw-r--r--  1 kenn  bsdwork    7225 May  4 13:27 grfioctl.h

GENERIC.grf.tar.gz is the kernel archive, and Xmacbsd.960503.tar.gz is
the X server.  Installation instructions among other information are
in the file README.Xcolorkit, so READ IT THROUGH AND THOROUGH before
ever trying to use them.  Grfioctl.h is the C header file for the
definitions and declarations necessary for writing applications which
take advantage of the new grf driver, and should be placed at
/usr/include/machine/.

Ouch, I just remembered the X server doesn't reinitialize the video
mode back to 1-bit mode after shutting down...  It wouldn't do any
harm if you're not using the color video card as your console, but
there will be an update shortly...

Okay, hope you'll have fun with it.

ken