Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!pequod.cso.uiuc.edu!dorner
From: dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Switching Monitor Depth
Keywords: monitor, depth, color
Message-ID: <1990Oct5.181524.622@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 5 Oct 90 18:15:24 GMT
References: <1990Oct5.052135.1635@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <1990Oct5.154600.13120@midway.uchicago.edu>
Sender: news@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (News)
Reply-To: dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Lines: 40

In article <1990Oct5.154600.13120@midway.uchicago.edu> francis@arthur.uchicago.edu (Francis Stracke) writes:
>In article <1990Oct5.052135.1635@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> jason@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Jason Watts) writes:
>>    I am writing a program which needs to change the depth of the main
>>monitor.  This does not seem to be documented in IM V, "Graphics Devices."
>>Does anyone know the procedure for doing this?
>
>You use the Control Panel.
>No, seriously.  IM V says leave monitor depth alone.  That's the user's
>province.

With all due respect, that's not a very helpful answer.  You don't know why
this guy wants to change the depth.  Perhaps he's writing a "depth change"
FKEY.  Perhaps he NEEDS to run at full depth, and would like to make things
convenient for the user.  Which would YOU rather see:

"I'm sorry, but this program requires at least 256 colors.  This is controlled
in software, and I COULD change it for you, but Apple Thought Police and
the Kindly Net won't let me do so.  Guess you'll have to use the Control
Panel."
				[[What a Stupid Restriction]]

or

"This program requires at least 256 colors.  Would you like me to change
your monitor?"
				[[Change It]]  [Leave It Alone]


Now, some things are best left undone, because they cause compatibility
problems; this may be one of them.  However, NOTHING that helps users
should be off limits purely because of ideological considerations.  (Yes,
ideological considerations are usually valid and helpful to users in the
long run; BUT NOT ALWAYS.)

Now that I'm off *my* soapbox, I have no idea how to change the depth, but
if anyone would like to send me a IIfx + color monitor, I'd be happy to
investigate it for the poster.
--
Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office
Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu  UUCP: uunet!uiucuxc!uiuc.edu!s-dorner