From: dwex@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (david.e.wexelblat)
Subject: Announcing the availability of XFree86 1.1
Organization: AT&T
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1992 13:28:08 GMT
Followup-To: comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit


			Announcing XFree86 1.1
		       ------------------------
			 (formerly X386 1.2E)
			    October 3, 1992

What is XFree86?
------------------
	XFree86 is an enhanced version of X386 1.2, the SVGA X server
Intel-based Unix which was distributed with X11R5.  This release consists 
of many bug fixes, speed improvements, and other enhancements.  Here are 
the highlights of the enhancements (items indicated by *** are new to this
release):

   ***  1) The SpeedUp package from Glenn Lai is an integral part of
	   XFree86, selectable at run-time via the Xconfig file.
	   Some SpeedUps require an ET4000-based SVGA, and others
	   require a virtual screen width of 1024.  The SpeedUps
	   suitable to the configuration are selected by default.
	   (Note that this is a relaxation of restrictions in
	   previous releases).  Depending on the underlying hardware, 
	   these enhancements can provide as much as a 50% improvement 
	   in xStones.
	2) The fX386 packages from Jim Tsillas are included as the
	   default operating mode if SpeedUp is not selected.  This
	   mode is now equivalent in performance to X386 1.1b (X11R4).
	3) Support for LOCALCONN, compile-time selectable for server,
	   clients, or both.  This support is for both SVR3.2 and SVR4.
	   For SVR4.0.4 with the 'Advanced Compatibility Package',
	   local connections from SCO XSight/ODT clients are supported.
    	4) Support for the newer ET4000-based SVGAs which have high clocks 
	   and reported incorrect clock values with the standard version.  
	   This support is automatic and does not require any Xconfig 
	   options.  Note that the Diamond SpeedStar 24 is an ET4000 board
	   that is NOT compatible with XFree86 (in addition, the SpeedStar 
	   24X does not use an ET4000, and is also not supported).
	5) A command line option has been added to allow the selection
	   of which VT the server will use, rather than having it try
	   to find one on its own.
	6) Support for compressed bitmap fonts has been added (Thomas
	   Eberhardt's code from the contrib directory on export.lcs.mit.edu)
   ***  7) Integrated support for 386BSD, Mach386, and Linux (previous
	   versions required a seperate patch kit).
   ***  8) The server's configuration file (Xconfig) can how be specified 
	   with a command line option or an environment variable in addition 
	   to the standard methods.
   ***  9) A monochrome version of the server which will run on generic 
	   VGA cards is now included.  This server uses just 64k of the 
	   memory on the VGA, and hence is limited to a virtual screen 
	   of approx. 800x600.
   *** 10) Drivers for ATI and Trident TVGA8900C SVGA chipsets.  The ATI
           8514/A chipset is NOT supported.
   *** 11) New configuration methods which allows the server's drivers and 
	   font renderers to be reconfigured from both source and binary
       	   distributions.

Also included are a tutorial on monitor timing by Bob Crosson, and the
current X386 mode database and a sample xdm configuration by David Wexelblat.

Note: Support for the FAS serial driver under SVR4 (which was previously 
      supported by X386 1.2E) has been removed from XFree86 1.1.  The
      SAS driver is a Streams version of FAS has proved quite reliable
      under XFree86 and should be used in place of FAS.

What about SGCS?
----------------
	The changes in XFree86  were done with the full knowledge, 
consent and cooperation of SGCS (Mark Snitily and Thomas Roell).  These 
changes are not derived from current SGCS work.  The current SGCS product 
is X386 1.3.  It is the intention of all parties involved that portions of
the XFree86 changes be folded back into the SGCS product, the SVGA portions 
of which will then be submitted to MIT for inclusion in X11R6.  This code 
will remain freely available, even though it is being included as a piece 
of a commercial product.

What about accelerated boards?
------------------------------
	At this time, there is no support for accelerated boards like the
S3, ATI Ultra (8514/A), TIGA, etc.  This support is available in commercial
products from SGCS and MetroLink.

Availability?
-------------
	Source patches based on X11R5 PL17, from MIT, are available 
	via anonymous FTP from:

		export.lcs.mit.edu (under /contrib/XFree86)
		ftp.physics.su.oz.au (under /XFree86)
		ftp.win.tue.nl (under /pub/XFree86)

	Refer to the README file under the specified directory for
	information on which files you need to get to build your
	distribution (which will depend on whether this is a new
	installation or an upgrade from an earlier version of
	X386 1.2E).

	Binaries are available via anonymous FTP from:

		ftp.physics.su.oz.au		- SVR4 binaries
			under /XFree86/SVR4
		ftp.win.tue.nl			- SVR4 binaries
			under /pub/XFree86/SVR4
		ferkel.ucsb.edu			- SVR4 binaries
			under /pub/SVR4/XFree86
		stasi.bradley.edu		- SVR4 binaries
			under /pub/XFree86/SVR4
		blancmange.ma.utexas.edu	- SVR3 (ISC) binaries
			under /pub/ISC/XFree86-1.1
		tsx-11.mit.edu			- Linux binaries
			under /pub/linux/packages/X11
		agate.berkeley.edu		- 386BSD binaries
			under /pub/386BSD/0.1-ports/XFree86
		nova.cc.purdue.edu		- 386BSD binaries
			under /pub/386bsd/submissions/XFree86
		vernam.cs.uwm.edu		- Mach386 binaries
			under /i386

	Each binary distribution will contain a README file that
	describes what files you need to take from the archive, and
	which compile-time option selections were made when building
	the distribution.

	[For Mach386 - a message explaining how to SUP the XFree86
	 binaries will be posted to the machi386 mailing list]

Systems XFree86 has been verified as working on
-------------------------------------------------
	
	Esix 4.0.3A and 4.0.4
	Microport SVR4 3.1 and 4.1
	Dell SVR4 2.1
	UHC SVR4.0 version 2.0
	Consensys SVR4
	MST SVR4
	ISC SVR4
	AT&T SVR4
	[We believe that it will work correctly on all Intel-based,
	 ISA/EISA SVR4's - MicroChannel has not been tested]

	Interactive SVR3 2.2 and 3.0

	Linux
	Mach386
	386BSD
	BSD/386


Future Directions
-----------------
	XFree86 will be an ongoing project; we are currently in the
planning phase for our next release.  Some of the items under development
are:

	- Fixes for any more bugs we find (or that are reported to us).
	- Continued performance improvements.
	- Implementation of server-side support for the X Input Extension.
	- Support for building SVR3 shared libraries.
	- Continued work on the monochrome server.

Our source patch kit will track any MIT official fix releases that are
issued between now and the next major release.  Announcements will be 
posted when updated patches are available.

Acknowledgements
----------------
XFree86 was originally put together by:
	David Dawes <dawes@physics.su.oz.au>
	Glenn Lai <glenn@cs.utexas.edu>
	Jim Tsillas <jtsilla@damon.ccs.northeastern.edu>
	David Wexelblat <dwex@mtgzfs3.att.com>

386BSD support by:
	Amancio Hasty Jr <hasty@netcom.com>
	Rich Murphey <rich@lamprey.utmb.edu>

Original 386BSD port by:
	Pace Willison

Mach 386 support by:
	Robert Baron <Robert.Baron@ernst.mach.cs.cmu.edu>

Linux support by:
	Orest Zborowski <obz@raster.kodak.com>

ATI driver contributed by:
	Rik Faith <faith@cs.unc.edu>

Trident driver contributed by:
	Alan Hourihane <alanh@logitek.co.uk>

X386 1.2, and moral support, from:
	Thomas Roell <roell@sgcs.com>
	Mark Snitily <mark@sgcs.com>

Other contributors:
	Bob Crosson <crosson@cam.nist.gov>
        Thomas Eberhardt <thomas@mathematik.uni-Bremen.de>

        and a horde of beta-testers around the world! 

Contact Information
-------------------
Ongoing development planning and support is coordinated by the XFree86 Core
Team.  At this time the Core Team consists of:

	The original "gang of four":
       		David Dawes <dawes@physics.su.oz.au>
       		Glenn Lai <glenn@cs.utexas.edu>
       		Jim Tsillas <jtsilla@damon.ccs.northeastern.edu>
       		David Wexelblat <dwex@mtgzfs3.att.com>

	Those supporting non-SYSV operating systems:
       		Robert Baron <Robert.Baron@ernst.mach.cs.cmu.edu>
       		Rich Murphey <rich@lamprey.utmb.edu>
       		Orest Zborowski <obz@raster.kodak.com>

       e-mail sent to <xfree86@physics.su.oz.au> will reach all of us.

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