Posted by
CmdrTaco
on from the let-the-games-begin dept.
sammy!! writes "Debian unstable now has XFree86 4.0, so use apt-get or dselect and start downloading the new packages!"
There are still a ton of issues with it, but I've been using the XF86 debs for several months on my desktop, with no significant problems.
XFree86 Debs from additional apt source lines
by
Yebyen
·
· Score: 5
I have been using the unofficial (phase2) debs of XFree86 4.0.1 for a while, and they are impressive. They actually work a lot better than compiling from source for me. In case it matters to anybody, the nv.o module even supports GeForce2GTS and other cards only supported in CVS as of now.
These debs seem fairly stable to me and are worth the download for most cards. Enjoy!
--
-- Restating the obvious since nineteen aught five.
Re:Xfree 4.x can be a little flaky
by
Fross
·
· Score: 5
but I have noticed recently that the X server will SIG 11 at odd times.
You mean it'll start flaming CmdrTaco then throw all its toys out of the pram and storm off?:)
Fross
Read This Before Upgrading!
by
Hornsby
·
· Score: 5
After using the apt repository on Branden's(the Debian X Maintainer) website to have XFree86 4.0.1 on two of my desktop machines, I have a few words of advice.
1. The 4.x X servers use a new style of configuration file. It's supposed to be automagically generated by running xf86cfg; however, this doesn't always work. Branden has written a tool to generate the config file, but it doesn't always work either. In lieu of this, it's probably a good idea to go to XFree86.org and brush up on the 4.0 series XF86Config file format before upgrading. Also, the new name for the config file is XF86Config-4 (I don't know if this is debian specific) instead of XF86Config.
2. If you're planning on using a 3d accelerated graphics card i.e. (Rage 128, 3dfx, etc), you must have DRI support compiled into your kernel with the appropriate kernel module for your card. There is a new Mesa for XFree86 4.0.1 that has builtin support for DRI; however, there is a problem with this package. It does not include the libGLU(a subset of the Mesa library) static library or header files. This means that you must manually extract libGLU from the existing Woody Mesa package and copy it into/usr/local/lib/whatever if you plan on running 3d apps that depend on libGLU(almost all!).
3. There are still serious issues with 3d acceleration on the Rage 128 cards and 3dfx cards. If I run tuxracer(or any GL app) with certain WindowMaker apps running(from inside of Blackbox), I get constant blinking inside of the 3d application. The solution(for now) is to shut down any WM applet that refreshes constantly. Don't even try to use 3d acceleration inside of enlightenment(horrible blinking).
4. Try to avoid emailing Branden at all costs. He's been less than friendly to me, and I know other people who have had similar experiences.
Other than that, the new X is really nice and noticably faster than the 3.3 series. Enjoy it.
-- A musician without the RIAA, is like a fish without a bicycle.
Slashdot Mirror
These debs seem fairly stable to me and are worth the download for most cards. Enjoy!
--
Restating the obvious since nineteen aught five.
You mean it'll start flaming CmdrTaco then throw all its toys out of the pram and storm off? :)
Fross
After using the apt repository on Branden's(the Debian X Maintainer) website to have XFree86 4.0.1 on two of my desktop machines, I have a few words of advice.
/usr/local/lib/whatever if you plan on running 3d apps that depend on libGLU(almost all!).
1. The 4.x X servers use a new style of configuration file. It's supposed to be automagically generated by running xf86cfg; however, this doesn't always work. Branden has written a tool to generate the config file, but it doesn't always work either. In lieu of this, it's probably a good idea to go to XFree86.org and brush up on the 4.0 series XF86Config file format before upgrading. Also, the new name for the config file is XF86Config-4 (I don't know if this is debian specific) instead of XF86Config.
2. If you're planning on using a 3d accelerated graphics card i.e. (Rage 128, 3dfx, etc), you must have DRI support compiled into your kernel with the appropriate kernel module for your card. There is a new Mesa for XFree86 4.0.1 that has builtin support for DRI; however, there is a problem with this package. It does not include the libGLU(a subset of the Mesa library) static library or header files. This means that you must manually extract libGLU from the existing Woody Mesa package and copy it into
3. There are still serious issues with 3d acceleration on the Rage 128 cards and 3dfx cards. If I run tuxracer(or any GL app) with certain WindowMaker apps running(from inside of Blackbox), I get constant blinking inside of the 3d application. The solution(for now) is to shut down any WM applet that refreshes constantly. Don't even try to use 3d acceleration inside of enlightenment(horrible blinking).
4. Try to avoid emailing Branden at all costs. He's been less than friendly to me, and I know other people who have had similar experiences.
Other than that, the new X is really nice and noticably faster than the 3.3 series. Enjoy it.
A musician without the RIAA, is like a fish without a bicycle.