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Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.apps,comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!reuter.cse.ogi.edu!qiclab.scn.rain.com!morton!joe From: joe@morton.rain.com (Joe Moss) Subject: Re: Why to not buy Matrox Millennium Message-ID: <Dot9o0.6vx@morton.rain.com> Keywords: Matrox Millennium Organization: Morton & Associates References: <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> <4j36ev$prl@news.Informatik.Uni-Oldenburg.DE> <stephenkDosrBD.D0@netcom.com> Date: Mon, 25 Mar 1996 06:50:23 GMT Lines: 33 Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.apps:13570 comp.os.linux.development.system:19887 comp.os.linux.x:27422 comp.os.linux.hardware:34125 comp.os.linux.setup:46842 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:274 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:2743 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:2527 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:15884 stephenk@netcom.com (Stephen Knilans) writes: >In article <4j36ev$prl@news.Informatik.Uni-Oldenburg.DE> Thomas.Weihrich@Informatik.Uni-Oldenburg.DE (Thomas Weihrich) writes: >>pmcdermo@cs.utexas.edu (Peter F. McDermott) writes: >> >>>Some companies just don't get it. Valdimir Vukicevic on the XFree86-3D list >>>requested information on Matrox's card (first message) and received the >>>second message as a reply. Unless Matrox changes their mind on release of >>>information, I suggest no one interested in running a free Unix system >>>buy their products. >> >>I perfectly understand Matrox's decision not to give away details on >>their cards and programming interface. They are afraid of reverse >>engineering - as are many of the pc card vendors - did you ever care to >>read Adaptec's policy on giving out their hardware documentation (and I >>do not mean jumper settings) ? >Are matrox cards sold as VGA or SVGA compatible? If they ARE, and this info >is NEEDED to use them as such, then they are guilty of FRAUD! They are >honor bound to disseminate such info. FURTHER, the card could be reverse They are VGA compatible, but the information in question is not needed to get them to work as a VGA compatible card. Matrox cards have two graphics chipsets on them. One is a cheapo VGA compatible chipset that only has access to a small amount of RAM and really only serves the purpose of making the card VGA compatible. If you want higher resolutions, refresh rates, and performance you need to use the Matrox proprietary chipset. How to interface with that chipset is the info they won't give out. -- set Email "joe@morton.rain.com (Joe Moss)";set URL http://psg.com/~joem/