Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!uunet!mcsun!unido!fauern!fauern!csbrod From: csbrod@medusainformatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod ) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech Subject: Re: Line A Considered Harmful (was Re: Closing AES boxes interfering with VDI drawing) Message-ID: <3400@medusainformatik.uni-erlangen.de> Date: 19 Dec 90 18:49:16 GMT References: <9267@ncar.ucar.edu> <1990Nov29.145734.1059@chinet.chi.il.us> <27569349.8114@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> <111330@convex.convex.com> <111628@convex.convex.com> <3391@medusainformatik.uni-erlangen.de> In article <3391@medusainformatik.uni-erlangen.de> csbrod@medusainformatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod ) writes: >>Right, you shouldn't use Line A anymore. >AAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK! What? How are we supposed to do graphics >now? (PLEASE don't say "Use GEM" -- I really don't want to wait till >next spring to get some graphics on the screen.) Is there any >TT-compatible, acceptable method for producing FAST graphics on the >ST? (Preferably one that will stay acceptable.) Or are we all doomed >to either incompatibility or slow, creeping death? Perhaps I should >read this group a little more closely. This is the first I've heard >on this topic... Ahem... use GEM 8-) Yes, there are ways to have _fast_ GEM-compatible graphics. The idea is to build up your graphics in a non-visible background buffer. There, you can use any kind of hand-coded, optimized graphics routine - as long as you use the GEM standard format in the background buffer (no interleaved bitplanes). When you have generated what you need, vr_trnfm() it to the device- specific format used by your current screen driver and use vrt_cpyfm() or vro_cpyfm() to blit your graphics to the screen. This should be fast enough for most applications except animation. By the way: If you fool around with VDI a bit, you'll notice soon that it isn't as bad as most people think. The only part of it I don't like that much are the font functions, especially finding out reliably if some font is proportional or which default sizes you have. Hopefully, FSMGDOS will improve things now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Claus Brod, Am Felsenkeller 2, Things. Take. Time. D-8772 Marktheidenfeld, West Germany (Piet Hein) csbrod@medusa.informatik.uni-erlangen.de ----------------------------------------------------------------------