[Xorg] The big multiconsole nasty

[Egbert Eich]

Keith Whitwell writes:
 > 
 > Ugh.  That would be the ugliest.  If it goes, it should go completely.
 > 
 > Note that most drivers nowadays include a kernel component, so OS-independent 
Not true.

 > modules in the userspace are pretty pointless.
 > 
 > Does anyone test that these modules actually can be run on another O/S?  Does 
 > anyone care if they can't?  Does any vendor actually make use of this?

1. It has been tested.
2. That's what we should find out.
3. That's not the point. A ia32 xyzBSD user can go and get the linux driver
   and it should work.

 > 
 > If someone really cares about cross-platform drivers, the module loader in 
 > XFree86 isn't a great place to start.  For starters, there's the kernel 
 > problem I mentioned, but also I have to question how useful OS-independence is 
 > if you don't also gain CPU-independence.

The kernel problem doesn't exist in the form you describe.
Most drivers still work well without a chipset specific kernel driver.
In fact on some OSes that we support there isn't even the possibility to load
a driver into the kernel.

Egbert.