X and Fluxbox :: increasing the friggin' refresh rate!



Once you've booted into DSL, you could maybe try editing .xserverrc (in home/dsl), changing the res, exiting X (Alt-Ctrl-Backspace), then restarting X by typing startx
Don't know about that particular resolution, but you can always try.  Unless it blows up your monitor...

But as stated, if you want to increase the refresh rate, have a look at the xfree86 package.
Quote (cbagger01 @ Jan. 05 2006,22:09)
The entier DSL operating system is probably about the same size as the RedHat install utilities + XFree86 or XOrg.

The "S" in DSL stands for SMALL.  Not "So SIMPLE that a 3 year old can do it!"

If you want a simple answer:

Can a newbie who cannot do anything beyond robotically following some instructions step-by-step get a stock DSL system to run XWindows at something other than 60HZ?

NO!

If this is the answer that you were waiting for, then you got it so I hope you enjoy that self-satisfied feeling as you move on to a different operating system.  CYA!


Now for the rest of us, the answer is clear:

The best way to get higher refresh rates in DSL is to install the XFree86.dsl extension and muddle through the configuration process until the configuration for your specific video card and monitor is complete.

For the more adventurous, you can try some alternative approaches:

If your video card has a special MSDOS configuration program that can change VESA refresh rates inside the card's BIOS, you can create an MSDOS boot disk to run this program and bump your refresh rate up and then start DSL via the loadlin MSDOS-to-Linux bootloader and the appropriate framebuffer code.  Then choose the xfbdev server.

If your video card supports the VESA 3.0 BIOS EXTENSIONS, you can get a special MSDOS configuration program like VBEHZ that can change VESA refresh rates, you can create an MSDOS boot disk to run this program and bump your refresh rate up and then start DSL via the loadlin MSDOS-to-Linux bootloader and the appropriate framebuffer code.  Then choose the xfbdev server.

If your video card has a special non-VESA linux framebuffer driver, you can boot up with this framebuffer and specify a higher refresh rate and then use xfbdev server, IF YOUR DRIVER SUPPORTS A LINEAR FRAMEBUFFER AND IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE XFBDEV SERVER.

There may be other ways to do it but they are presently unknown here at the forums.

HINT:  If you don't understand anything in the second part of this post and are just looking for someone to spell it out for you or write some magical configuration program to do the work, GIVE UP NOW.  I sincerely doubt that anything is going to change because the status quo has not changed since day 1 with this project, now in it's third year.

cbagger, that was awesome!

I think I just came in my pants...
I would simply like to point out that DSL is very slowly pushing me toward an epileptic siezure as I type, not a complaint, merely an observation.

Is it at all possible to hack a tiny modification to force a call to Vesa 3.0 for a refresh rate?
I once tried to hack XVesa to call for a Vesa 3.0 refresh rate but I could not get it to work.

Probably because I am not a programmer and I know very little about video hardware interfaces.

In theory, it is possible.  But the job is to be reserved for someone who knows what they are doing.

FYI, VESA 3.0 was not universally accepted like the old VESA 2.0 standard.

I think nvidia added vesa 3.0 support, but ATI did not.  I could be wrong, though.
Reading through the replies was hilarious!! "adding a clutch to an automatic car" ROLF!!! touche, that totally answered my question.

I didn't mean to offend anyone by writing my post in the manner that i did. I respect the project DSL. I was only hoping my post would be persuasive enough to trigger someone to go out there and find a way to solve the problem (since i'm not skilled enough to do so myself) and to tell the forum how to.
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