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Chipset Question

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  • Chipset Question

    General Linux newbie question here.
    Am I gonna' need some type of 4-in-1's within Linux for my Via Apollo 133A (VT82C694X & VT82C596B)?
    Isn't that just for Windows?

    Picked up a distro of SuSE 7.3 Personal today --- interestingly enough, the very same day IBM announces it is going to market with a Linux mainframe.:D

    I really wanted to get Slack, but at my connection speed, that would require about 60+ hours of DL'ing.:eek:

    Oh well, it's good enough for the girls I go out with!

    Thanks for any help
    The reason a diamond shines so brightly is because it has many facets which reflect light.

  • #2
    i downloaded slack on 56k, took about 69 hours i think from memory.. .get slack ya lazy ******* :P
    SileNceR, Messenger of the Dark and the Night. To post quality, or not to post at all, THAT is the Question - Never again ask what can my post count do for me besides increasing my ego, but instead ask what can I do to help someone else!
    Overclockers Melbourne (http://www.ocmelbourne.com).

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    • #3
      OK - I'll answer the question Mr. C :D

      You shouldn't need any drivers under Linux, the inbuilt ones should work fine :)
      What came first - Insanity or Society?

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      • #4
        I sponged slak off Bern :D

        Im not sure about SuSE, but in Mandrake it detects the via chipset and installs all the necessary drivers. There are (usually) linux drivers for all sorts of hardware. Check the SuSE homepage for links/howtos etc

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        • #5
          OK thanks!

          Yeah, I spent a bit of time at the SuSE site last night -- lots of research yet to do.

          Perhaps when I am smitten with the wonders of Linux, I will be more willing to spend the time necessary to DL Slack.

          But on a "sight-unseen" basis, I consider that a bit risky as I have no idea how my hardware will fare. Or if I will like it.

          At this point it is sort of a "grand experiment" for me. If I am able to function with it, I am sure I will quickly develop an appetite for more.
          The reason a diamond shines so brightly is because it has many facets which reflect light.

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          • #6
            Being a linux n00b, you cant go wrong with kan tong.

            no wait, thats not right.

            Mandrake. You cant go wrong with Mandrake.
            yeah thats it.

            Linux Mandrake. Very nice package that one, especially for the 'new to linux' crowd. (and the veteran linux user even)

            The only daunting thing about Linux is that you can get into strife with the system just as easily as you can with Windows, only its alot harder to get back out of it.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Bahamut Zer0

              The only daunting thing about Linux is that you can get into strife with the system just as easily as you can with Windows, only its alot harder to get back out of it.
              I wish to thank you at this time for your words of encouragement
              The reason a diamond shines so brightly is because it has many facets which reflect light.

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              • #8
                A freshly installed distro will have a generic kernel with almost everything compiled as modules, most of them are also compiled for i386 with the excption of mandrake and a few others. The kernal automagicly probes the hardware at boot as well as using the bios settings (after a linux kernel is loaded it bypasses the bios and makes direct calls to your hardware), and loads the correct modules for mobo and cpu, the files /etc/modules.conf and /etc/rc.d/rc.modules are scanned to determine what modules to load for your other hardware, and will also load any dependant modules. After you do your install you should download a "vannilla" kernel, do "make menuconfig" and read the "help" notes for an idea of what you can customise to match your hardware, you can do this as a user in /home/*you* with out borking the install or making changes to your kernel.
                p-two.net

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                • #9
                  OK....I won't start with the "which distro is the best" debate, though I've used a few, oh.....and.... I once downloaded slackware with a 14.4 modem :)


                  Let's get straight to the point: The kernel that gets installed when you install a distro, usually has all the bells and whistles in, so as to be able to support as much hardware as it can. When and if you choose to compile a "home-brewed" kernel, you'll see that there is support for VIA chipsets built in.....I'm currently running kernel version 2.4.17 with no problems whatsoever. However, I've noticed that VIA has released something that seems like linux drivers, but I haven't had a chance to take a look at them yet. check www.viatech.com for details.

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                  • #10
                    Those via files are for intergrated video/audio etc chipsets, if you have a mobo with out intergration you only need the standard kernel modules.
                    p-two.net

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                    • #11
                      OK, Bern. You're right about this... I did a little bit of checking myself. "Drivers", in the real sense of the word, are available for the integrated stuff...

                      However, there are a few application notes regarding the southbridge audio support, the ata controllers and so on, which apply to all the newest via chipsets. Perhaps one should check them out, if one intends to build a custom kernel.

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                      • #12
                        Thats a good point, however when I wan't to know about any....errata....and the kernel I do a search on the LKML archive.
                        p-two.net

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