RE: tlug: X resolution / color depth

[David J Iannucci <dji@example.com>]

>> when I do that, the only one that "looks right" (i.e. fills up the
>> screen and isn't warped) is the 1280x1024 at (I think) 8bpp that
>> is my usual default.
> 
> Hmm, it isn't supposed to look warped at any resolution.  That's something
> that even Jonathan the Problem Magnet hasn't attracted yet :-) Are you sure
> you have the right video driver selected and your monitor isn't sick?

Jonathan,
   Thanks for the reply.  Yes, I'm using the right X server (Mach64),
and when I said warped, what I meant was that the desktop image only
takes up about 2/3 of the screen area, the edges are strangely curved
rather than straight and square, and (most disturbingly) the edges of
the desktop image are cut off (e.g. if I have a clock in the corner,
half or so of the clock is just chopped off, like a cropped photo).

I'm beginning to think this is a monitor clocks problem, but I sure
don't have the experience to start messing with these values by hand...

> If you run xf86config and set it to 1280 x 1024, what is the highest
> color depth it will let you choose?  I confess to not knowing how much
> video memory you need to go 24 bpp at the resolution,

   I only need 16bpp, and I've got 2MB, so I can go up to 1152x8??,
but don't make it to 1280x1024.  I haven't played with it yet, but
I've been using XF86Setup for configuring, and I don't think this
lets you choose run-time bpp or resolution (this info isn't specified
in the config file, in any case).

> The command line switch when you start X and want to set your color
> depth is: startx -bpp nn

   Thanks, and thanks to Scott for the correction :^)

   Philosophical question, for anyone: why is this hardware-level
video configuration crap not necessary for Mac and Windows, and isn't
there _some_ way they can make it unnecessary for X?!  This is
arguably the most serious obstacle, I think, to the popularization
of Linux.  What a pain in the neck!  We're supposed to have gotten
beyond this stage of things by now, aren't we?  Oh geez, here I
go, getting started again... :^)

Dave

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