New G4 Powerbook Video (Radeon Mobility 9600) Problems

[Robert Lewis]

On Friday, October 10, 2003, at 10:14  AM, Atro Tossavainen wrote:

> Ed,
>
>> The most obnoxious is that there is no video support for the video 
>> chip
>> they upgraded to: the ATI Radeon Mobility 9600. I think the older
>> powerbook had the 9000 which has video support.
>
> It's not just YDL.  It's everybody who uses XFree86, on all platforms.
>
> Support for a whole lot of new Radeons in XFree86 is only in the
> development stage.  You can download a development snapshot of XFree86
> (currently at 4.3.99-14 from today, 10 Oct 2003), compile, replace a
> few files, and it _should_ work.
>
> No sensible Linux distribution should include development snapshots of
> anything.  It follows that Red Hat has often been "not a sensible Linux
> distribution".
>
> Get this 42 megabyte package:
>
> ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/pub/XFree86/develsnaps/XFree86-4.3.99.14.tar.bz2
>
> Unpack, cd xc, make World, (wait a long time).
>
> Replace /usr/X11R6/bin/XFree86 with the one you just made, replace
> the contents of the /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers directory with
> the new build, and it should Just Work......

    I have the same problem, as I too just recently bought a new 15" G4 
powerbook.

    As an experienced Mac person but a newbie to Linux I might like to 
try what you describe.  But could you be more exact?  I don't 
understand "Unpack, cd xc, make World".  Please be brutally precise.

Thanks.

Robert H. Lewis
Fordham University
New York City