LCA: Updates on the X Window System

LCA: Updates on the X Window System

Well, my notebook with 855GM chipset has an 1024x768 LCD, and that mode is in the BIOS. But I now have a 20" widescreen Dell flatpanel, with a native resolution of 1680x1050, which, not surprisingly, is not in the Video BIOS.

You are right that it's not the "fault" of Video BIOS. It is simply a poor design of the Intel's X video driver. Yes, I know they are fixing it; the problem is that it's been in the "being fixed" stage for >6 months already. Obviously, it's still better then nothing; I'm periodically downloading the current modesetting branch, but have yet to encounter a version that would work flawlessly. The latest one I'm running now (from two weeks ago) disables XVideo at my resolution due to some "double-wide pipe mode" nonsense (luckily commenting it out in the source fixes it), and it sometimes locks the machine up for good if I don't use it for a while.

Oh, and 855resolution doesn't work for me. I think the problem is that it adjusts the resolution, but not the frequency. Dell 2007WFP only accepts 1680x1050 at precisely 60Hz, which is apparently not what the laptop is sending it if I use 855resolution.