On Sun, 2005-10-30 at 02:58 -0500, Derek Martin wrote: > On Sat, Oct 29, 2005 at 09:56:16PM -0700, David Abbott wrote: > > I have to say. Being new to Linux and trying to administer my own > > system I have had loads of trouble. > > That's pretty normal, when you're new to something, generally. > > > I am trying to work out how to compile my own kernel because the > > basic setup to install the Nvidia drivers doesn't work on my Dell > > Inspiron 9300. The Go6800 is a pretty standard card. i wouldn't > > have imagined that it should be difficult. > > This you can blame on nvidia, for refusing to release the specs of > their hardware so that a proper driver could be integrated into the > Kernel. Instead, we're dependent upon them to try to support a > binary-only kernel module on dozens of different versions of the Linux > kernel (both official releases, and also vendor-modified kernels). > > They are clearly not up to the task. Not that we should expect they > would be; it's a pretty big task... But it becomes a small task if > nvidia either releases source code for their drivers, or releases > complete specs to their hardware, so that a driver can be written and > maintained as part of the Linux kernel proper. > > Another issue is that Fedora Core is intended to be a cutting edge > development platform, and as such there will always be bugs. In some > ways I think it is really not a very good choice for someone venturing > into the world of Linux for the first time... particularly for people > who are not already somewhat adept with computers. Except that you > will learn a lot by figuring out how to fix all the bugs and make your > system work the way you want it to. So in that regard, it's a good > thing. ;-) > > > I will persist, and continue my studies in how this all works. > > Good; if you do, you will be rewarded with a much greater > understanding of how your machine works, and why it works that way. > Enjoy! > > -- > Derek D. Martin > http://www.pizzashack.org/ > GPG Key ID: 0x81CFE75D My first forray into Linux was stopping at Barnes and Noble on the way home, and getting a Slackware 3.1 book. Got a basic install without any x server the first weekend( never did so many ftp's in one weekend, hehe). Two weekends later I finally had an X server going, granted 99.99% of what I was doing was beyond me at that time, but the measly 0.01% at that time helped my career take off. As far as issues with nvidia, you should be able to get a display going, you may have to manually edit your config (/etc/X11/xorg.conf) and lower settings for color depth and resolution, I can't fathom that generic vga is broken, but with Nvidia nothing surprises me. Since I stopped using their cards my prodcutivity has increased dramatically. If you post your xorg.conf I am sure you will get some suggestions to try, if you have an old non nvidia pci card kicking around you can throw that in, it is likely to work. That is one of the best things about Linux, generally once a piece of hardware works, it will be supported for a very long time. Regards, Ted
