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Linux: The low cost route for a stable visualization workstation with AVS5

Linux: The low cost route for a stable visualization workstation with AVS5. Matt Cooper Manchester Visualization Centre. Linux: A brief review. Linux is a free Un*x OS kernel Most of what people call Linux is actually the GNU tools. Initial development began in 1991

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Linux: The low cost route for a stable visualization workstation with AVS5

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  1. Linux: The low cost route for a stable visualization workstation with AVS5 Matt Cooper Manchester Visualization Centre

  2. Linux: A brief review • Linux is a free Un*x OS kernel • Most of what people call Linux is actually the GNU tools. • Initial development began in 1991 • I started using it in 1992/3. Kernel release 0.87 • Current ‘stable’ release is 2.0.35

  3. Linux: Platforms • Intel X86 (and AMD/Cyrix/IBM…) • PowerPC • 68000 (Mac, Amiga, Palm Pilot) • HP-PA • MIPS Silicon Graphics • [Ultra]SPARC • Alpha

  4. Linux: Cost and availability • Nothing except media costs • ~£2.50 in modem charges (56K) • £3-£15 for a CD • ‘Supported’ distribution: ~$50 • Cf. • Windows95: £70 • WindowsNT (workstation): £250 • WindowsNT (server): £633-£1100

  5. Linux: Distributions • Free: • Debian • Slackware • Officially supported: • Red Hat • S.u.S.e. • All include XFree86, a free X11 • SuSe develop their own X servers

  6. Linux: Limitations • Lack of applications • Lack of interest from users • Lack of interest from vendors • Limited performance from new peripherals (particularly true of graphics cards)

  7. AVS 5.4 on Linux: Installation • If you’re a Red Hat user: • Install two Red Hat ‘rpm’ packages • If you’re a Debian user: • Use ‘alien’ to convert the rpm’s • Install the Debian packages produced. • If you’re a home brewer: • Use install.avs • Type ‘/usr/avs/bin/avs’

  8. Ten biggest problems • Had to add a link to make some of the demos work • Um… • That’s it

  9. Stability • Two weeks of use on: • Debian/GNU ‘stable’ release • Debian/GNU ‘unstable’ (beta) release. • Ported a few modules • Broke quite a few of them • No crashes. No misbehaviour.

  10. Performance • Implementation is based on MESA • Free implementation of OpenGL • Supported by Brian Paul • Drivers and other code from others • Hardware support for 3D only for • 3Dfx Voodoo1, Voodoo2, Voodoo rush • Some GLINT based cards • nVidia RIVA 128 coming soon

  11. Module compilation • System set up to use ‘egcc’ • Works fine with plain gcc(version 2.7.2.3 with libc6) • Of the examples I’ve tried • if gcc will compile it there’s no problem • Clean code ports easily • unclean code is dreadful but it’s gcc which makes it so.

  12. Demos • Demos on a 2 year-old laptop: • Processor: P166MMX • Memory: 80Mb RAM • Graphics: C&T 65554 PCI • No hardware graphics support! • Also tried on: • Processor: P200MMX • Memory: 48Mb RAM • Graphics: Matrox Mystique

  13. Demos • Notes: • 800x600 really isn’t big enough • Noticeably faster at 256 colours • Works happily at higher 16/24/32bit

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