Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!kent
From: kent@swrinde.nde.swri.edu (Kent D. Polk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Simple Frame Buffer boards
Keywords: multiple videos boards
Message-ID: <112@swrinde.nde.swri.edu>
Date: 6 Dec 90 03:09:34 GMT
References: <1411@mpirbn.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de> <1990Dec5.165513.16570@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> <1990Dec5.212627.24551@csusac.csus.edu>
Sender: news@swrinde.nde.swri.edu
Organization: Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
Lines: 34

In article <1990Dec5.212627.24551@csusac.csus.edu> brian@babbage.csus.edu (Brian Witt) writes:
>In article <1990Dec5.165513.16570@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> fsset@bach.UUCP (Scott E. Townsend) writes:
>>
>>One benifit I can think of is indeed ease of programming, which also results
>>is a good size performance gain.  For example, a quick circle drawing
>>routine would slow down a fair amount if it had to worry about drawing
>>across this rectangular window into the real image.  This would be a lot like
>>clipping, which isn't a real quick operation.

Ah, beat me to it. Also, try doing nXn filter operations on a windowed
graphics card. Just memory map the framebuffer & let me keep/massage my
data right in the framebuffer.  Then I only have to keep temp buffers
for the special stuff & can use offscreen buffers if I don't want the
operations visible.

>What about multiple monitors attached to the same box.  macintosh's do

I'd be happy running Intuition on the standard monitor & a device-
independent package (like X11) on the Lowell card with a NEC5D.  It
would be nice to drag that Intuition application over to the next
display, though.

Speaking of X11, I want to thank Dale Luck (GfxBase) for loaning a copy
of X11 on the Amiga for the recent demo at Southwest Research
Institute. Looks pretty good (saving up my pennies...). Wish I had one
of those 'productivity screens' on my 2500/20 :^( (Will Xamiga support
the Lowell card as it is supported on the A3000UX?) The price is right
& the product is right for those of us in a network environment.
Looking forward to when X11 isn't such a cpu hog though.

====================================================================
Kent Polk - Southwest Research Institute - kent@swrinde.nde.swri.edu
        "Well... can't you get a Novell card for your Cray ?"
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