Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!aplcen!samsung!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!pawl!kudla
From: kudla@pawl.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Black Belt Video
Message-ID: <66PC%@rpi.edu>
Date: 14 Jan 90 09:47:58 GMT
References: <1188@m3.mfci.UUCP>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Lines: 49

In <1188@m3.mfci.UUCP> genly@m7.multiflow.COM (Chris Hind Genly) writes:
(for Ben Whatshisname from Black Belt)

-> To Jon Anderson:

Hoo hah. I've been called many things in my time, but never have I
been mistaken for Jon. What a compliment, even if it is a
misinterpretation of my .sig. :)

Me>I wonder why no one else has seen this.... It's certainly a 
Me>kludge

-> Ok, I'll byte. _Why_ is it "certainly a kludge"?  It works with all
-> Amiga models... it was _designed_ to.  It provides 256 colors, and
-> color registers to go with them.  It provides >256 colors, more
-> than 4,096 colors, using what you aptly described as "nasty stuff".
-> It'll come in a nice box, FCC approved, UL approved, quality RGB
-> cable supplied.  It doesn't require an extra monitor.
-> What is kludgey about this?

Let's see. It's on a strictly hardware level. Thus, it won't support
Intuition and graphics.library functions in a normal way (what happens
when you draw a box with one-pixel-wide lines, or better yet, a
one-pixel-think circle?), it requires nonstandard (to IFF) data to be
present (the cookie), and it requires data on every line or it'll revert
to normal screen mode. Therefore, unless programmers specifically
support it, if their program upens up a window on a HAM-E or even REG
screen it'll look like something the cat brought in. I'd call that
"nasty stuff". 

I grant you, it'll be a real nice box for programs that do support it,
and pictures (can't wait to convert Gifs to REG mode) and anims oughta
be real interesting. It should also be great for digitizing, of
course. But that doesn't change that from a programmer's standpoint,
it presents some rather unique obstacles. I plan to buy one anyway.

-> Notice this isn't a flame... I'm just asking, since you, and 
-> a few others, have made the assertion. Back it up now... that's 
-> all. THen, if you have insufficient justification, why THEN I'll 
-> flame you. :*)

Flame me now, if you want. I've been flamed by Clay Bond before. After
him, you're about as warm as a Video Toaster. :)
-- 
Robert Jude Kudla  <kudla@pawl.rpi.edu>

"Famous? I'm not famous. People come up to me after a show and say
    'Hey, Steve!'"
                                -Jon Anderson