TDFX(4)

📦 version 15.1, in freebsd 14.5, freebsd 15.1

💜 tdfx(4) — the Kernel Interfaces Manual glow-up ✨

okay bestie, sit down, because we're talking about tdfx — the Voodoo Graphics and VoodooII Memory Access GLIDE device driver 🧚 and yes that's the whole name, she's got main character energy and a very long title 💅

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

device tdfx

that's it. that's the whole vibe. one line and she's ready 🫶

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so what does this driver actually do? she creates an entry in /dev that lets programs (mostly the GLIDE-based girlies) reach out and touch the device memory of the Voodoo Graphics and VoodooII 3D accelerators — the ones made by 3Dfx, Inc. 🔥 basically it's the plug that lets apps built on the GLIDE API work, and apps that simply use the API the linux /dev/3dfx device provides can use the video device too. iykyk 😌

she supports all cards based on these chipsets, no cap:

  • 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics
  • 3Dfx Voodoo II

and specifically? these cards should work, periodt:

  • Diamond Multimedia Monster 3D
  • Diamond Multimedia Monster 3D II
ngl there's some stuff she does not do yet, and we're gonna be honest about it 🙈 this driver currently has no support for the Voodoo Banshee, Voodoo3, Voodoo5, or Voodoo6 based cards. she also does not currently support the Voodoo Rush. and she does not yet handle the SLI feature of the Voodoo II boards — you can only use each of them separately. lowkey tragic but that's the tea 💀

the slay part: by loading the tdfx_linux.ko and linux.ko modules, you can enable the linux ioctl code for this driver — and that's where the only supported applications currently reside 🦋

🌸 FILES 🌸

  • /dev/3dfx — symlinked to the default 3dfx board 💖
  • /dev/3dfx* — character device programming interface ✨
  • /dev/voodoo — mirrors of the above interfaces
  • /dev/voodoo* — same deal (some apps use /dev/voodoo, they're just quirky like that 🙈)

🔍 SEE ALSO 🔍

go read them, they're literally iconic 👑

🕰️ HISTORY 🕰️

the tdfx driver appeared in FreeBSD 5.0, and was originally developed for Linux kernel 2.0.x — then later written for 2.2.x and 2.4.x. she's been around, she's got lore 🎀

👑 AUTHORS 👑

the driver was developed by Coleman Kane <cokane@micro.ti.com>, built after the linux version of this driver by Darryll Straus, John Taylor, Jens Axboe, Carlo Wood <carlo@alinoe.com> and Joseph Kain <joseph@3dfx.com> — all so she could be directly compatible with it and support the many GLIDE based games available for Linux and Unix 🌈💖

that's the whole page bestie, hope it ate 💅 this was the Debian version, dated February 19, 2001 — shoutout to the TDFX(4) crew, mwah 😘🫶

📦 where this page comes from