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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.questions:6944 comp.unix.osf.osf1:1420 comp.periphs.scsi:15399 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!hamblin.math.byu.edu!news.byu.edu!news.provo.novell.com!park.uvsc.edu!u.cc.utah.edu!cs.weber.edu!terry From: terry@cs.weber.edu (A Wizard of Earth C) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions,comp.unix.osf.osf1,comp.periphs.scsi Subject: Re: Driver for Adaptec 274xT Date: 17 Nov 1993 07:35:17 GMT Organization: Weber State University, Ogden, UT Lines: 43 Message-ID: <2cck7l$npn@u.cc.utah.edu> References: <Egsycda00WBO06zWdV@andrew.cmu.edu> <CGEzo0.GJr@tsoft.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.weber.edu In article <CGEzo0.GJr@tsoft.net> tedm@tsoft.net (Ted Matsumura) writes: ]>adaptec ]> i ]> a ]> m ]> o ]> n ]> d ]> ]>just a coincidence? you decide. ] ]I don't get it, what is the significance of "diamond" ? This is a joke, based on both Adaptec and Diamond not providing programmming information for their cards so that non-proprietary drivers could be written and distributed. Diamond cards are not supported directly by XFree86, perhaps the most popular X server and programs set in existance, because Diamond refuses to give out information on how to program their dot clocks for monitor frequencies other than the defaults, unless you sign a non-disclosure agreement that would prevent the source code from being released. Alternate monitor frequencies are required to support the higher display resoloutions available via BIOS mode settings. Because Diamond will not allow this information out without non-disclosure and because they have not written their INT 10 BIOS to operate correctly in protected mode, it is impossible to get higher than default VGA resoloution on a protected mode OS. Similarly, Adaptec has reportedly told several programmers that have inquired that programming information for their newer disk controllers (such as the AHA2742 EISA controller and the version of the same controller for embedded use on motherboards) will not be made available except under non-disclosure. Terry Lambert terry@cs.weber.edu --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers.