I have IBM T20 laptop with Savage/IX accelerator. MXICD.DLL version is dated on 15.12.-99, version number given by glGetstring: 1.1 7.01.19
It seems there’s no opengl app that would run without hanging the computer (several examples downloaded from www.opengl.org, all hang after a while, so not a bug just in my code).
Some simple models with texturing seem to work o.k, but complex scene with material objects will hang the computer at some point.
In my own program, after rendering my scene, I do glFlush. When I had glFlush; glFinish;, the computer would hang after couple of secs. Mere glFinish or glFlush delays the hang, but it will come anyway (in 5-30 sec.) And yes, I have CS_OWNDC style set. And other accelerated opengl examples hang too.
I’m getting really frustrated. S3-website gives no support what so ever. DirectX works fine in this machine. Is this another plot by MS to force industry to move to DX and Xbox? My app works fine in TNT2 Ultra or in MS GDI software renderer.
Well, if you would have done a tiny amount of research on the S3 fan web site, you would have seen how crappy all their drivers are. Now that S3 sold off to VIA, I think VIA is in control of drivers.
Whatever the case, it is almost the worst chipset/driver combo I have ever seen.
Originally posted by Elixer:
[b]Well, if you would have done a tiny amount of research on the S3 fan web site, you would have seen how crappy all their drivers are. Now that S3 sold off to VIA, I think VIA is in control of drivers.
Whatever the case, it is almost the worst chipset/driver combo I have ever seen.
[/b]
well… Of all the IBM Thinkpad laptops, I chose the one with S3 chipset… the others have ATI chipsets (ATI Rage Mobility), which seem to have better drivers. Unfortunately, IBM website does not offer an update for the drivers. Nor does the S3 or VIA site either. I wonder how IBM can afford to have such a crap in so expensive laptop (which probably is intended for professional use (e.g. opengl-based cad), instead of directX shoot’em ups for kids…) Well. I have to claim another laptop, if they don’t get my current one work. However, there is newer MXICD.DLL out there in the internet, but it didn’t work (I suppose it was for different laptop)
The lesson I learned, however, was that if you implement opengl win app, you should test it on several platforms, including different accelerators and different windoze-versions. And that old Hw-accelerators may crash, if you don’t do opengl calls in proper order. I wonder if there’s a faq somewhere dealing with different accelerator problems.
The Rage 128 mobility is supposed to be quite good, it is based off of the Rage 128 chip, and that is pretty good. Nvidia is supposed to have a mobile version soon also.
BTW, I agree with you, IBM shouldn’t buy crappy chispets, and if I was you, I would complain about that. They may even do a trade up/in offer. Just make sure it is the Newest Rage 128 mobility chipset, and not the crappy Rage chipset!
Originally posted by JyrkiHoisko:
well… Of all the IBM Thinkpad laptops, I chose the one with S3 chipset… the others have ATI chipsets (ATI Rage Mobility), which seem to have better drivers. Unfortunately, IBM website does not offer an update for the drivers. Nor does the S3 or VIA site either. I wonder how IBM can afford to have such a crap in so expensive laptop (which probably is intended for professional use (e.g. opengl-based cad), instead of directX shoot’em ups for kids…) Well. I have to claim another laptop, if they don’t get my current one work. However, there is newer MXICD.DLL out there in the internet, but it didn’t work (I suppose it was for different laptop)
The lesson I learned, however, was that if you implement opengl win app, you should test it on several platforms, including different accelerators and different windoze-versions. And that old Hw-accelerators may crash, if you don’t do opengl calls in proper order. I wonder if there’s a faq somewhere dealing with different accelerator problems.
-J.
Well. I have to correct myself. I did find an alleviation to Savage OpenGL accelerator problems from IBM website (thanks to www.savagenews.com for pointing that out!)
You can find the latest T20/T21 videodrivers (7.13.53, 2001-01-005) from ftp://ftp.pc.ibm.com/pub/pccbbs/mobiles/vftpiy8m.exe . The installation of new drivers has helped my computer from hanging that often. However, it STILL HANGS SOMETIMES! (e.g. when swapping tasks). But not that often however. and I can kill the opengl app without having to reboot the machine, as I had to do previously. So something has gone better. BTW: I first thought the correction lies on new MXICD.DLL, but that dll has remained the same in the update. (so for example: Selection mode is still NOT returning depth values, and sometimes MXICD.DLL generates exceptions, if you have not initialized some stuff correctly).
(and interestingly, when opening winamp 2.72 and moving it quickly on top of accelerated opengl-window, the system hangs… (with software renderer; no problem) whether this is a bug in winamp, windows gdi or display-drivers, I don’t know.(but I tried it with different opengl apps and they all hang.))
Originally posted by JyrkiHoisko: (and interestingly, when opening winamp 2.72 and moving it quickly on top of accelerated opengl-window, the system hangs… (with software renderer; no problem) whether this is a bug in winamp, windows gdi or display-drivers, I don’t know.(but I tried it with different opengl apps and they all hang.))