Slackware prunes video drivers

[peebee]

Anybody see problems?

From: http://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/ ... ngeLog.txt

Mon Aug 8 23:29:31 UTC 2022
Hey folks, here's that graphics stack upgrade that you've been waiting for!
After looking at what drivers are currently shipped by other projects, I took
an axe to the driver list. Some of the removed drivers will still compile even
though they are abandoned, and some of the others are still getting git commits
(which allows *some* of them to compile). The removed stuff mostly looks
obsolete to me (we really can't support ancient hardware forever). But if you
think I've gone too far with any of these removals, please make or contribute
to a thread about it on LQ and I'll take any comments there into consideration.

x/xf86-input-acecad-1.5.0-i586-14.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-input-joystick-1.6.3-i586-5.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-input-keyboard-1.9.0-i586-5.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-input-mouse-1.9.3-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-input-penmount-1.5.0-i586-14.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-input-vmmouse-13.1.0-i586-9.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-input-void-1.4.1-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-apm-1.3.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-ark-0.7.5-i586-13.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-ast-1.1.5-i586-7.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-chips-1.4.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-cirrus-1.5.3-i586-7.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-geode-2.11.20-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-glint-1.2.9-i586-5.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-i128-1.4.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-i740-1.4.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-mach64-6.9.6-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-mga-2.0.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-neomagic-1.3.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-nv-2.1.21-i586-5.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-r128-6.12.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-rendition-4.2.7-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-s3-0.7.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-s3virge-1.11.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-savage-20190128_8579718-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-siliconmotion-1.7.9-i586-5.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-sis-0.12.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-sisusb-0.9.7-i586-5.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-tdfx-1.5.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-tga-1.2.2-i586-13.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-trident-1.3.8-i586-5.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-tseng-1.2.5-i586-13.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-v4l-0.3.0-i586-3.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-vboxvideo-1.0.0-i586-5.txz: Removed.
x/xf86-video-voodoo-1.2.5-i586-14.txz: Removed.

[mikewalsh]

@peebee :-

Um.....well, yes! Like, they've removed drivers for just about all the much older video hardware that many Puppy users still operate..?

This isn't the expected behaviour from a distro as old & respected as Slackware, now is it? Like as not they've got a whole bunch of new, young & overly-enthusiastic developers recently joined the team.....the old adage about " a new broom sweeps clean" springs to mind.....

Mike.

[Clarity]

Coming from a development background, I think they are reviewing their codebase with the understanding that their older releases address old hardware as they plot their new directions knowing the industry's trajectory.

I am guessing that this is seen as normal pruning of code as they, too, are giving users opportunity to rally for specific old hardware.

NOT sure if my observation are accurate. (and more correctly, probably not)

[peebee]

This is a Slackware Current change..... Slackware-15.0 still has the drivers

The LQ discussion seems to be:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/question ... 175715520/

For interest, I compared the Slackware current list with that provided by Void and by Debian:

Slackware Current Processing xserver_xorg
processing xf86-input-libinput-1.2.1-i586-2.txz
processing xf86-input-wacom-1.1.0-i586-1.txz
processing xf86-video-amdgpu-22.0.0-i586-2.txz
processing xf86-video-ati-20220730_7a6a34af-i586-1.txz
processing xf86-video-dummy-0.4.0-i586-2.txz
processing xf86-video-intel-20210115_31486f40-i686-1.txz
processing xf86-video-nouveau-20220125_29cc528-i586-1.txz
processing xf86-video-openchrome-0.6.0-i586-6.txz
processing xf86-video-vesa-2.5.0-i586-4.txz
processing xf86-video-vmware-20220621_ff5637a-i586-1.txz
processing xorg-server-21.1.4-i586-1.txz

Void Linux Processing xserver_xorg
processing xf86-input-joystick-1.6.3_3.i686.xbps
processing xf86-input-libinput-1.2.1_1.i686.xbps
processing xf86-input-mtrack-0.5.0_1.i686.xbps
processing xf86-input-vmmouse-13.1.0_4.i686.xbps
processing xf86-input-wacom-0.40.0_1.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-amdgpu-22.0.0_1.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-ati-19.1.0_4.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-cirrus-1.5.3_9.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-dummy-0.3.8_4.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-fbdev-0.5.0_2.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-intel-2.99.917.20210115_2.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-mach64-6.9.6_3.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-mga-2.0.0_3.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-nouveau-1.0.17_2.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-openchrome-0.6.0_3.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-qxl-0.1.5_4.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-r128-6.12.0_2.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-sisusb-0.9.7_3.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-vesa-2.5.0_2.i686.xbps
processing xf86-video-vmware-13.3.0_3.i686.xbps
processing xorg-server-21.1.4_1.i686.xbps

Debian Processing xserver_xorg
processing xserver-xorg-input-aiptek_1.4.1-3_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-all_7.7+22_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-elographics_1.4.2-1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-evdev_2.10.6-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-joystick_1.6.3-1+b1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-libinput_0.30.0-1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-mtrack_0.3.1-1+b3_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-mutouch_1.3.0-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-synaptics_1.9.1-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-wacom_0.34.99.1-1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-input-xwiimote_0.5-1+b3_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-all_7.7+22_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-amdgpu_19.1.0-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-ati_19.1.0-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-dummy_0.3.8-1+b1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-fbdev_0.5.0-1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-intel_2.99.917+git20200714-1+deb11u1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-mach64_6.9.6-3_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-neomagic_1.3.0-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-nouveau_1.0.17-1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-openchrome_0.6.0-4_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-qxl_0.1.5+git20200331-1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-r128_6.12.0-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-radeon_19.1.0-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-savage_2.3.9-4_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-siliconmotion_1.7.9-3_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-sisusb_0.9.7-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-tdfx_1.5.0-4_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-trident_1.3.8-2_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-vesa_2.5.0-1_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg-video-vmware_13.3.0-3_i386.deb
processing xserver-xorg_7.7+22_i386.deb

[bigpup]

This is what happens to the Linux kernel with each new series.
They drop drivers and hardware support, based on some idea that this old hardware no longer needs supported.
They do seem to be careful what they remove.

I have gotten Fossapup64 working with a very old computer, just by using a series 4 or 3 Linux kernel in it.
The good old vesa driver, should still work with any graphics hardware.
That was common, out of the box driver, in the older Puppy versions., before nouveau, I915 Intel, and Radeon drivers, got to be default drivers for newer puppy versions.

[8Geee]

IMHO: whats decent about this is that I'll bet a $ vs. coffee that 64-bit kernels are trimming a lot of old stuff. However, a 32-bit kernel should not be adding anything new, and retaining the old for x86-land. ARM OTOH, NEEDS newer 32-bit driver support.

8Geee

[Dry Falls]

Thing is, sbopkg is available for slackers and building these drivers is made a simple task by slackbuild developers. Hats off to them!