graphics problems with Focal(20) apparently out of date or missing stuff

[Bret Busby]

On 7/7/23 03:52, Liam Proven wrote:
> On Thu, 6 Jul 2023 at 16:23, Mike Marchywka <marchywka at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>      product: Precision Tower 3430 (0860)
>>      vendor: Dell Inc.
>>      serial: 702Y2W2
> 
> OK.
> 
>>            description: BIOS
>>            vendor: Dell Inc.
>>            physical id: 0
>>            version: 1.2.26
>>            date: 11/30/2018
> 
> Out of date. Latest here:
> 
> https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=56yxw
> 


Now, that is an opportunity for a very worthwhile, new, additional (if 
one does not already exist) system utility

Whilst a user can find the installed BIOS version details, manually upon 
booting a computer (if it is easily accessible - sometimes, accessing 
the information in the BIOS, is not so easily accessible), and, then, 
search  to find whether the installed BIOS is the latest version, a 
utility that can retrieve and display the relevant details - the 
computer model identifier, the BIOS version details, and, whether the 
installed BIOS version is the latest available version for the 
particular computer model (or motherboard), would be useful.

Whilst, if a particular computer is registered at the manufacturer as 
being owned by the owner, the computer manufacturer might (?) alert the 
owner to BIOS updates as they become available, and, whilst, a person 
buying a computer, before using it for the first time, might check the 
installed BIOS version, and, find whether the installed BIOS version is 
the latest available version (I wonder how many, as a proportion of 
total computer owners, do this - like reading the owner's manual of a 
car, before driving the car ?), a utility that can find and retrieve and 
display the applicable information, on demand, would be quite useful. 
Last year, I think it was, a computer that I bought in 2013, failed (I 
think it may be the power supply, but, am not sure, and, finding a 
laptop repairer here, is prohibitively difficult), due to a grid 
electricity supply failure (destructive baskets, they are). The point is 
that I was using that computer for about eight years (after I managed to 
get it going, after buying it), and, now (after the computer failed) 
that I am aware of the capability to check and update BIOS versions in 
computers, a utility that has this combined functionality, able to be 
applied on demand (like running apt update then apt upgrade (or, better, 
apt full-upgrade), would be quite useful. I realise that such 
functionality, would be beyond the parameters of the apt utility, which 
relies on sources.list stuff, so, an additional utility that can do for 
BIOS, what apt can do for packages, would be quite useful...

..
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
(UTC+0800)
..............