Mac G3 Video Card Driver

**ginbas** · November 21st, 2008

This is for anyone attempting to resurrect a mac g3 back to life with Hardy 8.04.

What I have is a G3 B&W 400mhz with the original Rage128 16mb PCI video card. After fiddling and fooling with the "/etc/X11/xorg.conf" file I was able to get direct rendering enabled.

user@powerG3:~$ glxgears
1728 frames in 5.0 seconds = 345.514 FPS
1828 frames in 5.0 seconds = 365.411 FPS
1824 frames in 5.0 seconds = 364.675 FPS

What really keeps this from working straight from install in that the default color depth is set at 24 where the card doesn't have enough video memory. So you need to force it to use 16 bit color in order to enble acceleration.

I used the original Apple 17" Studio CRT and had to specify the values of that monitor in xorg.conf as well.

Here is my xorg.conf

Code:

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Generic Keyboard"
        Driver          "kbd"
        Option          "XkbRules"      "xorg"
        Option          "XkbModel"      "pc105"
        Option          "XkbLayout"     "us"
        Option          "XkbOptions"    "lv3:lwin_switch"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Configured Mouse"
        Driver          "mouse"
        Option          "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Configured Video Device"
        BusID           "PCI:0:16:0"
        Option          "UseFBDev"              "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "Configured Monitor"
        Horizsync 25-80
        Vertrefresh 50-75
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Monitor         "Configured Monitor"
        Device          "Configured Video Device"
        DefaultDepth 16
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier      "Default Layout"
        Screen          "Default Screen"
EndSection

Compiz is not supported by this card however. Rage128's lack compositioning ability. I have however successfully played extremetuxracer!

**lemonbar** · November 22nd, 2008

Yay! I'll have to try this. Thanks for posting - I've been in G3 purgatory lately, and I have two other G3's waiting for conversion.

**stream303** · November 22nd, 2008

You have THREE G3's? Wow, no wonder I'm a bit confused.

Definitely keep these faqs handy if you haven't been to them already:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCKnown...on%20iMac%20G3

and

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCFAQ#3...eryl,%20Compiz

Although I'm not too big of a fan of trying to get 3D to run well on these boxes.

To avoid any frustration, be sure to check out exactly which models you have at:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/appl...ndex-imac.html

And pay attention to the hard drive size limitations. Most of the G3 iMacs have 8gb partitioning limitations for / (root), (some have 128gb limitations) so you'll have to do a custom partition if you have a replacement drive larger than the max listed as allowed.

Just wanted to let you know up front, so you don't try to throw them through the window.

**lemonbar** · November 22nd, 2008

Yep - one's a Graphite (my first computer ever), and the one I'm working on now was left by a dumpster at a friend's apartment (college town - people leave perfectly good electronics sitting next to dumpsters all over town at the end of semesters). The other is one I'm gutting for parts, but I've amassed enough mac stuff to build an obsolete megarobot

I must've been really tired when I saw this - I don't think this is the answer to my problem. I'll hop away now