Subject: Re: xsrc/xfree works on netbsd/sparc
To: Simon J. Gerraty <sjg@quick.com.au>
From: Erik E. Fair <fair@clock.org>
List: port-sparc
Date: 06/07/2001 15:04:35
The on-board graphics in an SPARCstation 20 is the cgfourteen (aka 
"SX"). It will only work if there is a VSIMM in the correct slot on 
the motherboard; otherwise it won't even probe. VSIMMs for this are 
strange looking RAM modules, with a sidecar & edge connector. They 
come in 4MB and 8MB sizes. There are two slots for them on the 
motherboard, but they do not combine - the second one is for a second 
head, for which you must also have a funny Sbus module with a 13w3 
connector on it. I think there is also an internal connector cable 
for that.

Alas, NetBSD (and Linux) appear to support this video device only in 
cgthree (unaccelerated 8-bit) emulation. What we need is for someone 
with the motivation and skill to fix that, or someone to prod Sun 
into releasing the source code to their driver(s) for this device so 
that we can write our own using those as a reference (it's unlikely 
that Sun ever produced a register-level programming manual for this 
thing; I'd bet that the source code is the only documentation that 
there is). Given the evolution of graphics and the age of this 
device, it can be argued that there is no intellectual property left 
in it worth protecting. The trick will be to convince Sun of that.

	Erik <fair@clock.org>