Contents of this section
Note, items marked with `*' have been added since the last beta release
(3.1.2G).
- XFree86 3.2 includes the X Consortium's X11R6.1.
- XFree86-3.2 includes a full distribution for Linux/m68k.
- XFree86-3.2 includes a full distribution for Linux/Alpha.
- XFree86-3.2 includes a full distribution for OS/2.
- A `DefaultColorDepth' keyword has been added for the Screen section
in XF86Config files to allow the default bpp to be specified.
- A `-nolock' server command-line option has been added to allow
the server's locking mechanism to be disabled.
- All VGA cards with a set of discrete clocks (i.e. not a ClockChip or
a ClockProg) can now also use all the clocks mentioned in the
clocks line divided by 2. This presents the server with twice as
many clocks to choose from. Add the option "clkdiv2" to the "Device"
section of XF86Config to enable this.
- Some cursor colouring bugs have been fixed for servers that use
hardware cursors.
- A security problem related to the X server's lock files has been
fixed.
- The VidMode extension (as used by xvidtune) now by default only allows
changes to modes by clients using a local connection type. There is
also an option to completely disable mode changes via this extension.
- A new server extension called "XFree86-Misc" has been added. The
primary purpose of this is to allow reconfiguration of some parameters
while the server is running. Some functions previously in the
VidMode extension (like screen save functions) have been moved to
this new extension.
- Support has been added for the ALPS GlidePoint. A tap on the pad
is treated as a fourth button.
- The XKEYBOARD extension is included in the servers as part of X11R6.1.
It is enabled by default, but can be disabled either from the command
line (see the Xserver man page) or from the XF86Config file
(see XkbDisable in the XF86Config man page). With this extension
enabled, you may see some differences in the keyboard mappings.
- A new extension called XFree86-DGA is now provided. This allows
a client program to get direct access to the video card's memory.
This is implemented for most of the servers/drivers that can support
it. Connections are only allowed from clients using a local
connection type (e.g., DISPLAY=":0").
For details
of the client-side API, see the XF86DGA(3) man page, and the file
README.DGA.
- An implementation of the XInput extension is now included. It
has support for the following devices:
- Joystick (Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD only)
- Wacom tablet (Wacom IV protocol only)
- Elographics touchscreen
- SummaSketch tablet
- Mouse
Refer to the XF86Config(4/5) manual page and the
xinput document
for configuration details.
- The default black and white pixel values are now black = 0 and
white = 1 for all servers. This may be swapped with the
`-flipPixels' command-line option.
- Underscore characters are now ignored in Options and keywords in the
XF86Config file.
- The built-in X server malloc is used by default.
- A problem that can cause the X server to crash when running
xvidtune has been fixed.
- Bitmap fontpath elements can have
":unscaled"
appended to prevent the fonts from being treated as scalable. This
works with the fontserver (xfs) too.
- *The PEX and XIE server extensions can now be dynamically loaded
for Linux/ELF, FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD.
- 3.2 includes a new, graphical utility for X server configuration
called `XF86Setup'. NOTE: this utility requires that you have the
VGA16 server installed, as well as the server specific to your
video card.
- Support has been added for PC98 machines. These are Intel based
machines which are common in Japan.
- Support has been added for the PANIX-PC98 SVR4.0 OS.
- The following PC98-specific X servers are included:
- XF98_NECS3 PC98 NEC(S3) server.
- XF98_PWSKB SKB-PowerWindow(S3) server.
- XF98_PWLB PC98 PowerWindowLB(S3) server.
- XF98_GA968 GA-968V4/PCI(S3 968).
- XF98_TGUI Cyber9320 and TGUI9680.
- XF98_NKVNEC NKV-NEC(cirrus) server.
- XF98_WABS WABS(cirrus) server.
- XF98_GANBWAP GANB-WAP(cirrus) server.
- XF98_WABEP WAB-EP(cirrus) server.
- XF98_WSNA WSN-A2F(cirrus) server.
- XF98_EGC EGC(generic vga16) server.
- XF98_NEC480 PEGC-480(generic vga256) server.
- Motion history support is included for XInput devices.
- XInput drivers are now dynamically loadable for Linux/ELF, FreeBSD,
and NetBSD.
- Multiple instances of XInput devices may be specified.
- Support for the S3 Trio64V+.
- *New server (XF86_S3V) for the S3 ViRGE and ViRGE/VX. Note that this
server is very new, and is considered "beta". Please report any
problems with it.
- Support in the S3 server for the AT&T 20C409 and 20C499 RAMDACs.
- Some potential problems with the way the accelerator is used have
been fixed.
- A new driver has been added for the 868/968/Trio64V+ which uses
the new MMIO mode available with these chips. This new driver is
used by default for these chips on Intel platforms, but not yet
on Alpha platforms. It can be enabled for Alpha platforms by
specifying:
Chipset "NewMMio"
If you see any problems with the new driver, please let us know.
It is possible to
disable this new driver and use the old one by specifying:
Chipset "mmio_928"
in the Device section. Please test the new driver before
disabling it, and for any problem you see, also check if it happens
with the old driver, and let us know (even if the old driver fixes
the problem!).
- An initialisation problem with some VideoLogic cards has been fixed.
- Support for the ELSA Winner 2000PRO/X rev G and ELSA Gloria-8 (except
the GLint 300SX 3D chip) has been added.
- Problems with S3 dashed lines are fixed.
- Added options "slow_dram" and "slow_edodram" to avoid pixel
errors on the display for some broken cards.
- A Ti3026 clock problem that appears on some SPEA cards has been fixed.
- Code has been added to automatically detect the Trio32 bug that causes
font cache problems. When detected, a workaround is activated..
- Framebuffer address problems with some 1MB Trio64 VLB cards should
be fixed.
- The low ICS5342 clock limit has been removed.
- Detection of Diamond S3 cards has been improved. If you've needed
to use the "diamond" option to avoid screen wrapping in previous
releases, try removing it and let us know if there are any problems.
- Memory parameter calculations for 2MB Trio64 cards have been fixed.
If you've needed to add something like "S3MClk 170" to your
XF86Config with previous versions, you should remove it now.
- The handling of the S3RefClk XF86Config setting has been fixed
for cards with an IBM Ramdac.
- Support for S3 and Bt485 HW cursor in doublescan modes.
- Fix positioning of IBM RGB Ramdac HW cursor in interlace and
doublescan modes (the cursor shape still isn't correct).
- Improved linear fb detection for PCI cards. In particular this
should allow most Trio64V+ cards to use the linear fb, which
seems to prevent a lot of the lockups that have been reported.
- Support for the ELSA Elsa Winner2000PRO/X-2,4 Rev.G which uses
an ICS9161A clock chip as well as the Ti3026 RAMDAC (clock
doubling not supported yet).
- The default InvertVCLK settings have been changed for #9 Motion
771 cards and Hercules Terminator 64 Pro cards. If you have
needed to add Invert_VCLK lines to your XF86Config file to avoid
screen wrapping with version 3.1.2, please remove them when
testing this version. If there are problems with the new
defaults, please report them to us.
- *Text clipping performance has been improved.
- Most problems in the handling of block_write have been fixed.
Nevertheless, you still might need to add the "no_block_write" option
to your XF86Config if the BIOS doesn't correctly initialise the
chip.
- Screen blanking for some Mach64 CT cards running at 16bpp and 32bpp
has been fixed. Problems remain for some revisions of the CT chip.
- The Mach64 server supports the VT and GT chipset. The GT is also
known as "3D Rage". The newer 3D Rage II is not yet supported.
- A problem with olvwm icons has been fixed.
- A problem with ghostview scrollbars has been fixed. This may also
fix some Netscape font problems that have been reported.
- The Mach64 CT (also known as the 264CT or 215CT22200) chip is now
supported. This chip has a integrated RAMDAC and clockchip, and
is used on some Graphics Xpression and WinBoost cards.
- The Mach64 GX-F (GX rev 3) is now supported.
- The IBM RGB514 RAMDAC is now supported (as used on the ATI
Graphics Turbo Pro 1600).
- The memory base should now be correctly detected for VLB cards.
If you've needed to add a `MemBase' line to the XF86Config for
previous versions, please try removing it, and let us know if there
are any problems.
- Cursor colour problems at 16bpp/32bpp mode with some RAMDACs have
been fixed.
- Errors in detecting some RAMDACs (like the CH8398) should now be
fixed.
- 8 bit-per-RGB mode (when running at 8bpp) is now the default for
RAMDACs that support it.
- Hardware cursor mask problem has been fixed.
- Support for the AT&T 20C408 RAMDAC/Clockchip has been added.
- Arbitrary clocks can be used on most cards with supported clock chips.
- Hardware cursor color problem on Mach64 CT, VT and GT chips at 16bpp
and 32bpp has been fixed.
- Doublescan mode is supported on VT and GT chipsets. The hardware
cursor is not correctly displayed in doublescan modes, but functions
correctly. No other Mach64 chipsets can support an accelerated
doublescan mode.
- Video noise on certain CT, VT and GT chips has been eliminated (on
nearly all cards) or reduced as much as possible (on certain CT
based cards).
- Clock chip programming accuracy has been greatly improved on CT, ET,
VT and GT based cards. This may result in modes that were set up
for a previous release not being displayed as before. With the
xvidtune program, you can adjust the screen to work with the now
correct clock programming.
- *The reliability of the Mach64 detection code has been improved.
- Hardware cursor mask problem has been fixed.
- *16bpp support has been added for the AT&T 20C490 and Bt481
RAMDACs.
- *Some VT switching problems have been fixed.
- Support has been added for the ET6000
- Support has been added for the ICD2061A clock chip (which is used
on the Diamond Stealth 32).
- The server's reporting of bits/RGB resolution has been fixed.
- Support for the STG1703 RAMDAC/clock has been added. Clocks up to
135MHz should be OK. To use the programmable clock add the
following line to the Device section of the XF86Config:
ClockChip "stg1703"
- Options have been added to allow PCI burst mode and W32 interleaving
to be turned on or off. The XF86Config Device section entries
for these are:
Option "pci_burst_on"
Option "pci_burst_off"
Option "w32_interleave_on"
Option "w32_interleave_off"
- Support has been added for the ICS5341 programmable clock.
To enable this, add the following lines to the Device section of your
XF86Config file:
Ramdac "ics5341"
ClockChip "ics5341"
- Problems that could cause the W32 server to crash at startup or
get stuck in a loop at exit have been fixed.
- *Some drawing bugs have been fixed.
- Fix for clock probing with AGX-010 chips.
- A new server for the Number Nine Imagine 128 card is included.
This server is currently not accelerated.
- Support has been added for the Series 2 cards.
- Support has been added for 8MB cards.
- *A new server for the DEC 21030 (TGA) is included. This is only
available for Alpha machines. This server is currently not
accelerated.
- A PCI probe has been added to these servers. If it causes problems,
it can be disabled by adding the line:
Option "no_pci_probe"
to the Device section in your XF86Config file.
- A problem preventing the StaticGray visual from working has been
fixed.
- VGA16 support has been added to the ET3000 driver.
- TGUI9440 is now fully supported by the SVGA server.
- Major updates for most of the trident family of chips.
- TGUI9660/9680 chipsets are now fully supported
- Check
README.trident
distributed
with this release for full details.
- The Ark driver will now detect the ARK2000MT, but it is treated
as an ARK2000PV.
- A problem which caused the server to crash when no Ramdac was given
in the XF86Config file has been fixed.
- ICS5342 clock support (required for the Diamond Stealth64
Graphics 2001 series) has been added.
To enable this, add the following lines to the Device section of your
XF86Config file:
Ramdac "ics5342"
ClockChip "ics5342"
Do not include any Clocks
lines in your XF86Config file.
- Panning has been fixed for ARK2000PV cards with 2MB of video memory.
- *Some basic BitBlt acceleration has been added.
- *24bpp packed pixel support has been added for some cards/RAMDACs.
- *Memory bandwidth problems have been fixed.
- *Hardware cursor support has been added.
- *This driver includes support for linear memory and 16bpp, 24bpp and
32bpp operation. Note, this support isn't currently present in
the W32 accelerated server.
- A driver for the Alliance ProMotion 6442 has been added (from
Alliance Semiconductor). This has not been thoroughly tested.
- *A driver for the NV1/STG2000 has been added. This chipset is used
on the Diamond Edge 3D card. This is a very new
driver, and is considered "beta". It includes support for
8bpp and 16bpp.
- *A driver for the Matrox Millennium (mga2064w) has been added. This
is a very new driver, and is considered "beta". It includes support
for 8bpp, 16bpp, 24bpp and 32bpp. The acceleration capabilities of
this chipset are only used to a very limited extent at this stage.
- Support has been added for the CL-GD5446, CL-GD5462 and CL-GD5464.
- Support has been added for the CL-GD7543.
- Support for the CL-GD754x series of laptop chips is included, but
it appears to be broken in this release.
- The programmable clock code has been improved to avoid unstable
settings.
- *Some FIFO setting problems have been fixed.
- *Packed 24bpp support has been added for the 54xx.
- *Some problems with 16bpp for a 1MB 5434 have been fixed.
- Support is included for the SiS 86C201 PCI graphics card.
- 256 colour support has been added.
- SiS 86c202 and 86c205 somewhat work when "sis86c201" is specified
as chipset.
- This driver has been significantly reworked.
- Support has been added for the 65546, 65548, 65550 and 65554.
- Linear addressing support for the 65530 and above.
- 16bpp and 24bpp (packed) support for the 65545 an above.
- BitBLT and some other acceleration for the 65545, 65546, 65548
and 65550.
- Interlaced modes now work with this driver.
- Mach64 support has been improved.
- The driver name has been changed back from "vgawonder" to "ati".
- Support is included for most recent Mach64 cards.
- The "undoc_clocks" option has been removed. If you had been using
it, remove it from your XF86Config file.
- A colourmap problem with VGA Wonder V3 boards has been fixed.
- A problem with snow at high clocks has been fixed.
- The Compaq AVGA driver has been disabled in this release because it
doesn't work, and nobody seems interested in fixing it.
- The Hercules mono driver has been disabled in this release because
it has problems, and isn't likely to be fixed soon.
- Support for most vt220/vt320 escape sequenced has been added to xterm.
- Support for ddterm's escape sequences has been added to xterm.
- The termcap and terminfo entries for xterm have been updated in line
with the new features present. These entries are not completely
compatible with earlier versions of xterm.
- xdm's session handling on BSD OSs has been fixed.
- Some buffer overrun problems which can lead to security problems
have been fixed in libXt and libX11. At least one of these
problems has been used to exploit the setuid xterm.
- POSIX termios support has been added for xterm on most BSD systems.
This removes the need for the BSD kernel to built with the
COMPAT_43 option.
- As part of the change to X11R6.1, the shared library revisions
for libX11, libXaw, libXext, and libXtst have been incremented
to 6.1.
- The client-side library code for the XFree86 extensions and the
ScreenSaver extension has been moved into separate libraries.
The old libXExExt has been removed.
- Colour support is now included by default in xterm. I18N support
in xterm has been improved (as part of X11R6.1). If you've previously
been using one of the many "color_xterm" variants, try this and let
us know if you have any problems.
- xdpyinfo has been updated to provide more detailed information
about the XInput extension and the XFree86 extensions.
- The setting/examining of extended screen saver parameters has
been added to xset (was in xvidtune). xset can now also be used
to set the keyboard repeat parameters.
- The following new clients have been added:
- dga -- a test program for the XFree86-DGA extension.
- xsetmode, xsetpointer -- programs for use with the XInput
extension.
- The xdm security fix from the X Consortium's R6 fix-13 is included.
- xconsole has been updated for Unixware 2.x.
- XNLS support has been added for KOI8-R.
- xrdb dynamically allocates string space to avoid overruns.
- A memory overrun problem in xterm has been fixed.
- An "AllowNullPasswd" resource has been added to xdm.
- libXt bug fix from the X Consortium's R6 fix-13.
- Incorrect handling of IBM RGB Ramdacs has been fixed.
- Added detection for C&T 65548, Cirrus CL-GD7543/1, AT&T
20C409, AT&T20C499, and fixed an incorrect ET4000/W32 probe
problem.
- Much improved detection for Mach64 cards.
- Improved detection for Trident cards.
- Added detection of SiS, ARK, S3 ViRGE cards.
- The Cyrillic fonts have been updated.
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