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Features such
as TV Out, DualView, and Video Window, are available in the Tecra 9000
drivers. Feature descriptions and benchmark test data for the Summit graphics
drivers are available from the Xi Graphics Web site, http://www.xig.com .
Each Summit v2.1 graphics driver is available in demo mode for download
from the Xi Graphics Web site for compatibility and performance testing.
Users can purchase a Summit License Key on-line which when installed converts
a demo into permanent product. A license is required for each computer on
which an Accelerated-X Summit driver is used as permanent product. Prices for
the License Keys range from $69 to $139, depending upon the driver.
Customer support, which the Company claims is prompt, courteous and
competent, is also free via phone and e-mail to its Denver, Colorado
facilities.
According to Xi Graphics, owners of other makes and models of notebooks
that use the S3 SuperSavage graphics chip should also be able to test and
license the Summit v2.1 SuperSavage graphics drivers on their units.
About Xi Graphics Inc.
Xi Graphics Inc., has developed commercial accelerated graphics drivers
for Linux and UNIX(R) systems since 1994. For information on the Company,
visit http://www.xig.com .
Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other trademarks are property
of their respective owners.
Patch: ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.5/patch-2.5.12.gz
Full source: ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.5/linux-2.5.12.tar.gz
Sizes in bytes Compressed Uncompressed ------------------------------------------------------------ Patch 238515 988202 Full source 34073918 152002560 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following files were changed in this release: b/Documentation/filesystems/Locking | 2 b/MAINTAINERS | 6 b/Makefile | 2 b/arch/alpha/defconfig | 1 b/arch/alpha/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/alpha/mm/numa.c | 2 b/arch/arm/def-configs/footbridge | 1 b/arch/arm/def-configs/iq80310 | 1 b/arch/arm/mm/init.c | 14 b/arch/cris/drivers/ide.c | 6 b/arch/cris/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/i386/defconfig | 13 b/arch/i386/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/ia64/defconfig | 1 b/arch/ia64/hp/sim/simserial.c | 1 b/arch/ia64/mm/init.c | 4 b/arch/ia64/sn/configs/sn1/defconfig-bigsur-mp | 1 b/arch/ia64/sn/configs/sn1/defconfig-bigsur-sp | 1 b/arch/m68k/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/mips/defconfig-ddb5476 | 1 b/arch/mips/defconfig-it8172 | 1 b/arch/mips/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/mips64/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/parisc/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/ppc/configs/common_defconfig | 1 b/arch/ppc/configs/k2_defconfig | 1 b/arch/ppc/configs/menf1_defconfig | 1 b/arch/ppc/configs/mvme5100_defconfig | 1 b/arch/ppc/configs/pmac_defconfig | 1 b/arch/ppc/configs/pplus_defconfig | 1 b/arch/ppc/configs/sandpoint_defconfig | 1 b/arch/ppc/defconfig | 1 b/arch/ppc/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/ppc64/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/s390/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/s390x/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/sh/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/sparc/kernel/sys_sunos.c | 2 b/arch/sparc/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/sparc64/defconfig | 1 b/arch/sparc64/kernel/sys_sunos32.c | 2 b/arch/sparc64/mm/init.c | 2 b/arch/x86_64/defconfig | 1 b/arch/x86_64/mm/init.c | 2 b/drivers/block/blkpg.c | 13 b/drivers/block/ll_rw_blk.c | 62 b/drivers/block/loop.c | 6 b/drivers/block/paride/Makefile | 2 b/drivers/block/paride/paride.c | 22 b/drivers/block/rd.c | 10 b/drivers/char/Makefile | 3 b/drivers/char/agp/agpgart_be.c | 8 b/drivers/char/drm/i810_dma.c | 4 b/drivers/char/ip2main.c | 4 b/drivers/ide/Config.help | 16 b/drivers/ide/Config.in | 12 b/drivers/ide/aec62xx.c | 24 b/drivers/ide/alim15x3.c | 16 b/drivers/ide/amd74xx.c | 12 b/drivers/ide/cmd64x.c | 30 b/drivers/ide/cs5530.c | 14 b/drivers/ide/cy82c693.c | 10 b/drivers/ide/hpt34x.c | 1 b/drivers/ide/hpt366.c | 18 b/drivers/ide/icside.c | 9 b/drivers/ide/ide-cd.c | 210 - b/drivers/ide/ide-disk.c | 10 b/drivers/ide/ide-dma.c | 54 b/drivers/ide/ide-floppy.c | 125 - b/drivers/ide/ide-pci.c | 2 b/drivers/ide/ide-pmac.c | 47 b/drivers/ide/ide-probe.c | 271 +- b/drivers/ide/ide-tape.c | 129 - b/drivers/ide/ide-taskfile.c | 105 b/drivers/ide/ide.c | 663 +++--- b/drivers/ide/ns87415.c | 10 b/drivers/ide/pdc202xx.c | 12 b/drivers/ide/pdc4030.c | 85 b/drivers/ide/piix.c | 53 b/drivers/ide/serverworks.c | 22 b/drivers/ide/sis5513.c | 12 b/drivers/ide/trm290.c | 1 b/drivers/ide/via82cxxx.c | 6 b/drivers/isdn/capi/Makefile | 4 b/drivers/isdn/capi/capidrv.c | 138 - b/drivers/isdn/capi/capifs.c | 10 b/drivers/isdn/capi/capiutil.c | 76 b/drivers/isdn/capi/kcapi.c | 84 b/drivers/isdn/hardware/avm/avmcard.h | 14 b/drivers/isdn/hardware/avm/b1.c | 28 b/drivers/isdn/hardware/avm/b1dma.c | 78 b/drivers/isdn/hardware/avm/c4.c | 80 b/drivers/isdn/hardware/avm/t1isa.c | 8 b/drivers/md/lvm-snap.c | 5 b/drivers/md/md.c | 16 b/drivers/md/raid5.c | 38 b/drivers/mtd/devices/blkmtd.c | 22 b/drivers/net/ppp_generic.c | 2 b/drivers/net/tun.c | 136 - b/drivers/net/wan/Makefile | 3 b/drivers/net/wan/dlci.c | 2 b/drivers/net/wireless/Config.help | 8 b/drivers/net/wireless/Config.in | 1 b/drivers/net/wireless/Makefile | 1 b/drivers/net/wireless/airport.c | 203 - b/drivers/net/wireless/hermes.c | 138 - b/drivers/net/wireless/hermes.h | 273 +- b/drivers/net/wireless/hermes_rid.h | 153 + b/drivers/net/wireless/ieee802_11.h | 73 b/drivers/net/wireless/orinoco.c | 2728 +++++++++++++------------ b/drivers/net/wireless/orinoco.h | 126 - b/drivers/net/wireless/orinoco_cs.c | 315 +- b/drivers/net/wireless/orinoco_pci.c | 391 +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/orinoco_plx.c | 278 +- b/drivers/pci/pci.ids | 2 b/drivers/pnp/pnpbios_core.c | 4 b/drivers/scsi/ide-scsi.c | 37 b/drivers/scsi/seagate.c | 8 b/drivers/sgi/char/sgiserial.c | 3 b/drivers/video/Makefile | 2 b/fs/Makefile | 3 b/fs/adfs/dir.c | 3 b/fs/affs/dir.c | 4 b/fs/affs/file.c | 14 b/fs/affs/symlink.c | 4 b/fs/autofs/root.c | 10 b/fs/bad_inode.c | 1 b/fs/bfs/dir.c | 5 b/fs/block_dev.c | 34 b/fs/buffer.c | 2509 +++++++++------------- b/fs/coda/symlink.c | 4 b/fs/cramfs/inode.c | 9 b/fs/dcache.c | 24 b/fs/devpts/root.c | 10 b/fs/efs/dir.c | 7 b/fs/efs/symlink.c | 4 b/fs/ext2/dir.c | 128 - b/fs/ext2/fsync.c | 1 b/fs/ext2/inode.c | 4 b/fs/ext3/dir.c | 7 b/fs/ext3/fsync.c | 2 b/fs/ext3/inode.c | 31 b/fs/ext3/super.c | 2 b/fs/fat/buffer.c | 5 b/fs/fat/dir.c | 19 b/fs/fat/file.c | 2 b/fs/freevxfs/vxfs_immed.c | 2 b/fs/freevxfs/vxfs_lookup.c | 5 b/fs/freevxfs/vxfs_subr.c | 4 b/fs/fs-writeback.c | 522 ++++ b/fs/hfs/dir_cap.c | 20 b/fs/hfs/dir_dbl.c | 16 b/fs/hfs/dir_nat.c | 20 b/fs/hfs/file.c | 4 b/fs/hfs/sysdep.c | 2 b/fs/hpfs/buffer.c | 2 b/fs/hpfs/dir.c | 53 b/fs/hpfs/file.c | 2 b/fs/hpfs/namei.c | 4 b/fs/inode.c | 373 --- b/fs/isofs/compress.c | 6 b/fs/isofs/dir.c | 4 b/fs/isofs/rock.c | 4 b/fs/jbd/checkpoint.c | 6 b/fs/jbd/commit.c | 20 b/fs/jbd/journal.c | 12 b/fs/jbd/recovery.c | 4 b/fs/jbd/revoke.c | 6 b/fs/jbd/transaction.c | 33 b/fs/jffs/inode-v23.c | 12 b/fs/jffs2/dir.c | 4 b/fs/jffs2/file.c | 4 b/fs/jffs2/gc.c | 2 b/fs/jfs/file.c | 2 b/fs/jfs/inode.c | 4 b/fs/jfs/jfs_dmap.c | 4 b/fs/jfs/jfs_dtree.c | 37 b/fs/jfs/jfs_imap.c | 8 b/fs/jfs/jfs_logmgr.c | 15 b/fs/jfs/jfs_metapage.c | 30 b/fs/jfs/jfs_txnmgr.c | 9 b/fs/jfs/namei.c | 2 b/fs/jfs/super.c | 8 b/fs/libfs.c | 5 b/fs/minix/dir.c | 76 b/fs/minix/file.c | 1 b/fs/minix/itree_common.c | 4 b/fs/namei.c | 278 +- b/fs/ncpfs/dir.c | 17 b/fs/ncpfs/symlink.c | 4 b/fs/nfs/dir.c | 13 b/fs/nfs/file.c | 14 b/fs/nfs/inode.c | 3 b/fs/nfs/nfs3proc.c | 4 b/fs/nfs/proc.c | 4 b/fs/nfs/read.c | 8 b/fs/nfs/symlink.c | 6 b/fs/nfs/write.c | 2 b/fs/nfsd/vfs.c | 3 b/fs/ntfs/aops.c | 65 b/fs/ntfs/compress.c | 18 b/fs/ntfs/dir.c | 3 b/fs/ntfs/ntfs.h | 4 b/fs/ntfs/super.c | 8 b/fs/open.c | 1 b/fs/openpromfs/inode.c | 18 b/fs/partitions/check.c | 4 b/fs/proc/base.c | 31 b/fs/proc/generic.c | 25 b/fs/proc/proc_misc.c | 13 b/fs/proc/root.c | 11 b/fs/qnx4/dir.c | 7 b/fs/ramfs/inode.c | 6 b/fs/readdir.c | 2 b/fs/reiserfs/dir.c | 12 b/fs/reiserfs/do_balan.c | 22 b/fs/reiserfs/file.c | 1 b/fs/reiserfs/inode.c | 58 b/fs/reiserfs/ioctl.c | 2 b/fs/reiserfs/journal.c | 30 b/fs/reiserfs/prints.c | 5 b/fs/reiserfs/resize.c | 2 b/fs/reiserfs/tail_conversion.c | 10 b/fs/romfs/inode.c | 17 b/fs/smbfs/cache.c | 6 b/fs/smbfs/dir.c | 18 b/fs/smbfs/file.c | 7 b/fs/smbfs/inode.c | 3 b/fs/smbfs/proc.c | 7 b/fs/sysv/balloc.c | 78 b/fs/sysv/dir.c | 50 b/fs/sysv/file.c | 4 b/fs/sysv/ialloc.c | 70 b/fs/sysv/inode.c | 116 - b/fs/sysv/itree.c | 58 b/fs/sysv/namei.c | 9 b/fs/sysv/super.c | 327 +- b/fs/sysv/symlink.c | 3 b/fs/sysv/sysv.h | 236 ++ b/fs/udf/dir.c | 8 b/fs/udf/file.c | 4 b/fs/udf/fsync.c | 1 b/fs/udf/inode.c | 10 b/fs/udf/namei.c | 2 b/fs/udf/symlink.c | 4 b/fs/ufs/balloc.c | 4 b/fs/ufs/dir.c | 6 b/fs/ufs/inode.c | 4 b/fs/ufs/util.c | 9 b/fs/umsdos/dir.c | 8 b/fs/umsdos/emd.c | 24 b/fs/umsdos/inode.c | 2 b/fs/umsdos/rdir.c | 7 b/include/linux/amigaffs.h | 4 b/include/linux/blkdev.h | 7 b/include/linux/buffer_head.h | 315 ++ b/include/linux/fs.h | 372 --- b/include/linux/fs_struct.h | 4 b/include/linux/hdreg.h | 8 b/include/linux/ide.h | 63 b/include/linux/jbd.h | 9 b/include/linux/linkage.h | 12 b/include/linux/locks.h | 20 b/include/linux/mm.h | 157 - b/include/linux/mmzone.h | 2 b/include/linux/page-flags.h | 218 + b/include/linux/pagemap.h | 13 b/include/linux/pci_ids.h | 20 b/include/linux/sched.h | 3 b/include/linux/slab.h | 1 b/include/linux/swap.h | 3 b/include/linux/synclink.h | 19 b/include/linux/sysctl.h | 2 b/include/linux/sysv_fs.h | 228 -- b/include/linux/writeback.h | 53 b/include/net/profile.h | 2 b/include/sound/asound.h | 1 b/include/sound/core.h | 20 b/include/sound/version.h | 2 b/init/main.c | 2 b/kernel/ksyms.c | 9 b/kernel/sched.c | 31 b/kernel/sysctl.c | 4 b/mm/Makefile | 5 b/mm/filemap.c | 414 +-- b/mm/memory.c | 12 b/mm/mincore.c | 2 b/mm/mmap.c | 2 b/mm/msync.c | 10 b/mm/page-writeback.c | 527 ++++ b/mm/page_alloc.c | 86 b/mm/page_io.c | 13 b/mm/pdflush.c | 6 b/mm/readahead.c | 42 b/mm/shmem.c | 20 b/mm/slab.c | 4 b/mm/swap_state.c | 28 b/mm/swapfile.c | 9 b/mm/vmscan.c | 67 b/sound/Makefile | 46 b/sound/arm/Makefile | 2 b/sound/core/Makefile | 10 b/sound/core/memory.c | 1 b/sound/core/oss/Makefile | 2 b/sound/core/seq/Makefile | 14 b/sound/core/seq/instr/Makefile | 2 b/sound/core/seq/oss/Makefile | 2 b/sound/core/seq/seq_dummy.c | 1 b/sound/core/seq/seq_midi.c | 2 b/sound/core/seq/seq_midi_event.c | 1 b/sound/core/seq/seq_queue.h | 2 b/sound/drivers/Makefile | 10 b/sound/drivers/mpu401/mpu401_uart.c | 2 b/sound/isa/Makefile | 17 b/sound/oss/Makefile | 9 b/sound/oss/cs4281/Makefile | 10 b/sound/oss/dmasound/Makefile | 6 b/sound/oss/emu10k1/Makefile | 14 b/sound/oss/vidc_fill.S | 46 b/sound/pci/Makefile | 18 b/sound/ppc/Makefile | 2 b/sound/synth/Makefile | 10 include/linux/sysv_fs_i.h | 18 include/linux/sysv_fs_sb.h | 89 324 files changed, 9470 insertions(+), 7433 deletions(-)
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The manuals
Because there’s nothing to say about the Mandrake 8.2 install beyond, “it worked,” let’s look at the books that came in the box. The first one, and the most important one for new users — and I mean a user either new to Linux or new to Mandrake — is the Installation and User Guide. It is 371 pages (including index) of real, honest-to-bonkers user manual that tells you how to use all of Mandrake’s graphical-install and setup tools and how to run many of the most popular programs included with this distribution. It has sections with names like “Office Work” and “Using the Internet.” People who might have asked, “What’s a Linux?” yesterday could read this book and know how to do almost every ordinary computer task in Mandrake after they were through.
The second book, titled Reference Manual, has paragraphs like this one in it:
environ This file contains all the environment variables defined for this process, in the form VARIABLE=value. Similar to cmdline, the output is not formatted at all; no newlines to separate between different variables, and no newline at the end either. One solution to view it: perl -pl -e 's,100,n,g' environ.
Mandrake starts out easy, but if you want to go deep, they don’t stop you, and they give you the basic written material you need at every step of the way. 8.2 just makes the start a little easier than it used to be.
Linux for the lazy
You could, no doubt, set up all the packages that come with the Mandrake 8.2 Powerpack yourself, and you’d probably make a cleaner and faster system if you did, what with you being an elite hacker and all, but just as it’s nice to have someone else clear the table when you’re done eating now and then, sometimes it’s nice to have that RealPlayer plugin install itself automagically into the .9.8 Mozilla that comes as the default, then to automagically click on a couple of thingies and have the current 1.0 release candidate download and install itself, fast as an apt-get if not faster, and be able to add software that’s not in the default install, like NEdit (my favorite text editor), and have it show up in the KDE menus without doing a thing, with all dependencies handled for you.
Or maybe you’re not lazy but just short of time. I know some highly skilled Linux programmers and sysadmins who like Mandrake because it lets them get not just “an” installation, but one complete with all kinds of neat stuff (Flash) going in very little time, while paying attention to something else.
Is the 8.2 Powerpack worth $69 US (plus shipping), including StarOffice? I can’t make that judgment for you. The download edition, plus OpenOffice, is free, and if that’ll do for you, then that’ll do for you. I find it enough faster and easier to have everything install quick-like-bunny in one lump that I’m willing to pay $69 for the convenience, plus the extras you get with StarOffice that don’t come with OpenOffice. Not to mention the manuals. I bought a laptop recently with Windows XP pre-installed, and to learn anything deep about XP, I’m sure I’d need to spend at least $70 for books, because I certainly didn’t get much XP documentation with it. Then I’d have to get some sort of office suite for Windows, and most of them cost a bunch of money, plus I’d want to get at least some sort of image manipulation program (Mandrake includes The GIMP and some other utilities) and manuals for them, and so on.
Yeah, I talked myself into it. I’ll spend the $69. Of course, I’ll also use the same copy of Mandrake on the laptop with XP (which is running the Mandrake 8.2 download edition 99% of the time already), so that brings it down to less than $35 per computer. And then I have this other, older computer I use as a backup, so now we’re down to $23 per install. I can live with that, even if a friend or two doesn’t bum the CDs from me (which will inevitably happen) and maybe buy me a drink or two in return.
This is the best Mandrake yet. Just like that. Now I’m going to stop typing and go watch some Quicktime movie trailers, Yes, a trial edition of the justifiably famous Crossover “run Windows browser plugins in Linux” program is included, as are trial versions of many other interesting commercial programs for Linux. Anyway, here’s the Mandrake 8.2 product page for the version I tested. There’s also a less expensive Standard Version that’s not quite as fancy (OpenOffice instead of StarOffice, for example), but still includes the fine manuals, that’s probably plenty for most home users.
Now I really am going to stop typing. I’ve spent longer writing these few words — and lots more keystrokes — than it took to install and set up this latest Mandrake. That’s sure a change from how a Linux install was just a few years ago, eh?
Note: The review platform was a common HP Pavilion 5340 laptop with a Savage S3 video card and ESS Technology ES1988 Allegro-1 sound card. The printer is an HP Deskjet 940. Wireless connection is through an SMC card; I don’t remember the model number (it’s on the bottom), but it’s pretty standard. I also got a Linksys PCMCIA combination NIC/modem working without thought — after watching some Quicktime trailers.
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