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From: greid@adobe.com (Glenn Reid)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Where's the Bits
Message-ID: <1023@adobe.UUCP>
Date: 28 Jul 89 01:37:00 GMT
References: <3562@frame.UUCP>
Sender: news@adobe.COM
Reply-To: greid@adobe.COM (Glenn Reid)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Lines: 29

In article <3562@frame.UUCP> glc@frame.com (Greg Cockroft) writes:
>The NeXT manuals do not document how to get at screen bits.
>I want to make a fancy info box for FrameMaker, and I want to write
>directly into screen bits. Personally I refuse to buy one of these 
>boxes unless they change their minds about documenting this stuff.

...

>This is as far as I've gotten. Does anyone know what is going on?

I know what's going on.  With all due respect, you are barking up
the wrong tree.  To paraphrase James Gosling, "Pixels are bad for
you."

You have the entirety of Display PostScript at your disposal for
drawing fancy boxes.  Poking values into screen memory to draw is
exactly counter to the philosophy of the whole window manager and
screen display system, which is why you can't find it documented
anywhere, I believe.  Techniques like that are also almost
guaranteed not to work on different screens or in various other
environments.

Just out of curiosity, what is the fancy effect you are trying to
achieve that neither Display PostScript nor compositing can do for
you?

Just kibbitzing,
 Glenn Reid
 Adobe Systems