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From: wpaul@panix.com (Bill Paul)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Re: ghostscript and ghostview under FreeBSD 1.0.2
Date: 29 Jul 1994 15:06:29 -0400
Organization: THe M00se Illuminati (bl00p!)
Lines: 69
Message-ID: <31bjvl$ddq@panix3.panix.com>
References: <CtpMo1.ME5@twisto.eng.hou.compaq.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: panix3.panix.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Daring to challenge the will of the almighty Leviam00se,
Richard Hykel (hykel@yoda.eng.hou.compaq.com) had the courage to say:
: I have compiled ghostscript & ghostview from the Walnut
: Creek FreeBSD 1.0.2 CD-ROM portstgz directory following
: the README.FreeBSD notes.
[stuff munched for brevity]
: spitfire:> setenv GS_DEVICE ljet2p
: spitfire:> gs ~/recsrch.ps
: Initializing... Unrecoverable error: rangecheck in %set_screen_continue
: Operand stack:
: 0.200454 false --nostringval--
: and when I run ghostview the error reported is
: Unrecoverable error: rangecheck in %set_screen_continue
: Operand stack:
: 0.0546875 true --nostringval--
: I am running a 386/25 without coprocessor, 8M RAM, 25M swap
: with XFree86 working great.
: Does anyone have a clue?
Yes, but I'll cost ya. :)
Seriously, the problem is the lack of math co-processor. If you don't
have a math chip installed, the kernel emulates one in software. The
problem is that the default emulation is awful. GhostScript does some
floating point calculations, but because the FPU emulator is so lame,
it gets back bogus answers and falls over. You have three choices:
1) Obtain the port of the Linux FPU emulation software and compile
it into your kernel. I'm pretty sure it's available for FreeBSD
1.0.2, but I'm not sure where. Check the ports directory on the
usual FTP sites.
2) Upgrate to FreeBSd 1.1.5[.1] which has the Linux FPU emulator
included in the distribution. (You need to build a new kernel
to enable it, however.)
3) Buy a math chip.
Of these, option 3 is the least troublesome, though it's also the
most expensive. Option 2 is really hairy and could require recompiling
a lot of software to avoid inter-version compatibility problems.
Option 1 is tricky, cheap, but time consuming. Were it me, I'd
get the math chip.
Hope this helps.
: -----
: Richard Hykel hykel@yoda.eng.hou.compaq.com
: My opinion is my own and subject to change.
-Bill
--
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