External Screen Blanking – Apple Driver/Hardware Issue
There seems to be an issue with an Apple driver in regards to external lcd's via their line of new laptops. Where the screen blanks in and out randomly for apparently no reason. I've done zero diagnosis because I get so tired of these type of bugs that I just don't even feel like it. I suspect it's an incorrect mode or HZ being reported. I'm not sure why it's intermittent however. Can someone at Apple please, please, please fix this? I don't have time to diagnose it for free but if we can just confirm the issue that would be good enough for me.
This is specific to the new Apple laptop I just purchased for work. The problem is that this is annoying and makes it difficult to get any work done. Luckily, I haven't been on any binges or doing anything major so it's tolerable but otherwise it would be up there with the reverse polarity bug for this display. Which sad to say still is a problem with OpenSolaris. That said, the information is below and the lcd is connected via external mini-display <-> vga dongle. I'm not sure how other people are dealing with it really; maybe using it as a time to get up and stretch or something. I do have to say though, all that aside, this is an excellent laptop for my work needs at home my 8-core is a bit more suited (large photos, videos, etc) but for programming alone or looking at visuals? You can't go wrong with this 13.3 macbook unibody. I'm not sure how it runs X Linux distribution and it's unlikely i'll even try. Been Linux free on the desktop for about 5-6 months now; not going back anytime soon.
Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Type: Display
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M:
Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Type: Display
Bus: PCI
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0863
Revision ID: 0x00b1
ROM Revision: 3343
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1280 x 800
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Built-In: Yes
DELL 2407WFP:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Rotation: Supported
Connection Type: Analog VGA or Analog over DVI-I
Still, more on Object databases
Since my rant on tuesday, I came across this informative presentation on Object databases (requires flash) by a company called Franz for an object database called AllegroCache. AllegroCache uses LISP which is well; it's LISP but the points the presenter makes about object databases are extremely important. Circa August 2005.
I'll be at a meetup on the Sun Microsystems campus here in NYC for a presentation on Geo-Temporal and Social Network Reasoning with AllegroGraph. AllegroGraph is made by this same company Franz so it should be interesting.