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Date:      Tue, 25 Aug 1998 16:38:11 +0000
From:      Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>
To:        David Syphers <dsyphers@igpp.llnl.gov>
Cc:        mobile@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: XFree86 
Message-ID:  <199808251638.QAA00640@dingo.cdrom.com>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 25 Aug 1998 14:52:26 MST." <199808252152.OAA13477@beowulf.llnl.gov> 

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Please, one list only.

> Okay, the frustration level's running a little high, which is why I'm
> sending this message instead of reading _more_ docs (and I'm sure the
> my guruish friend is getting tired of me running to him all the time). 
> I'm attempting to install XFree86 on my Chembook 6300 laptop and I'm not
> having much sucess.  I copied the necessary files to a directory in the
> /usr partition and unpacked them ("extract" didn't work, but whatever. 
> i just used gunzip and tar).

Which directory?  Why not use /stand/sysinstall to install X?

>  I ran xf86config and the basic vanilla
>  video setup (640x480 16 color using X332VG16) because my NeoMagic 128
>  isn't directly supported. This didn't work.  I then tried using
>  XF86Setup through /stand/sysinstall, and while this seemed more
>  promising (hey, it could display the very X-like thing it uses for
>  setup), it got me no further. Every time I try to run X using
>  "startx," I get the same error - 

The very X-like thing is the VGA16 server (ie. it _is_ X).

> "{blah blah blah}
> (--) VGA16: There is no mode definition named "640x480"
> 
> Fatal server error:
> No valid modes found..."

Did you save the configuration file when you finished XF86Setup?  
Unless you do this explicitly, you won't have a configuration.

> *briefly stands on soapbox*
> I am new to FreeBSD.  By this I do _not_ mean "I've only been a Sun
> sysadmin for 10 years" new to FreeBSD.  I mean that I've come directly
> from the world of Microsoft.  I've been playing around with FreeBSD off
> and on for over a year now, and obviously haven't accomplished much.  I
> really like FreeBSD and the atmosphere of it's users, but I'd just like
> to cast one more vote for the idea that FreeBSD doesn't have adaquate
> support for those of us with absolutely no experience with this stuff -
> no experience with Sun, with SYSV, with Linux, or with DOS.

That's fair enough; however we don't have a multi-billion dollar 
organisation which can control the hardware market and pay people to do 
the corner smoothing.

One more point; XFree86 is a third-party product supplied by the 
XFree86 Project.  If you are having problems with it, you should be 
talking to them.  If we were Microsoft, we would be charging you $55 
for this advice.

-- 
\\  Sometimes you're ahead,       \\  Mike Smith
\\  sometimes you're behind.      \\  mike@smith.net.au
\\  The race is long, and in the  \\  msmith@freebsd.org
\\  end it's only with yourself.  \\  msmith@cdrom.com



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