Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S266485AbUI0QIV (ORCPT ); Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:08:21 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S266705AbUI0QIU (ORCPT ); Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:08:20 -0400 Received: from web40708.mail.yahoo.com ([66.218.78.165]:29532 "HELO web40708.mail.yahoo.com") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S266485AbUI0QIJ (ORCPT ); Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:08:09 -0400 Message-ID: <20040927160807.80266.qmail@web40708.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 09:08:07 -0700 (PDT) From: Timothy Miller Subject: Using certain graphics cards on non-x86 systems? To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1033 Lines: 26 I have a quick question. There are certain devices, like graphics cards, which require that their BIOS be run at POST in order to initialize certain critical (and often undocumented) bits of their hardware before they can be used by the OS. What does Linux do about that on non-x86 systems? I remember old Alphas had like and 8088 emulator that allowed SOME PC graphics cards to be used as a console even. But on, say, a G5, are you out of luck? Is there an x86 emulator that you use to run the BIOS? At what stage is it run so that you can have a console? Many cards can't even do basic VGA without the BIOS first being run. Thanks. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/