Subject: Re: hardware recommendations (IR and Video Out)
To: Brian Hechinger <wonko@4amlunch.net>
From: Michael <macallan18@earthlink.net>
List: port-sparc64
Date: 12/14/2004 08:30:58
Hello,

> also, would you recommend the ATI cards?  i'll probably be looking at a
> Rage based card as they are cheap and i don't need all the features of
> the other cards.
From a strictly XFree86ish point of view I'd recommend a cheap radeon for non-x86 systems because the XF86 driver doesn't need accesss to VGA legacy stuff ( may need some hacking to get rid of it though ). I'm not sure about the Rages, but I guess the above applies to them too - the fact that Sun used ATi parts may be a hint ( but not a strong one - it's not impossible to access the legacy stuff on a Sun - just not too convenient )
Hmm, if you feel adventurous just plug the Radeon which doesn't work in your Mac into the Sun - it MAY see the fcode stuff.

> also, what do i need to worry about as far as ROMs go?  do i have to play
> the same game that i did with getting that Radeon working on my mac?
Maybe - maybe not. ROM images for Suns will be a LOT harder to get ( if they exist at all ) but in theory the fcode stuff should work - OpenFirmware is based on an earlier version of Sun's OpenBOOT after all, so there is a chance. But I wouldn't bet on Sun and Apple OF being in any way compatible, at least both will have proprietary extensions.

have fun
Michael