Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!uhccux!munnari.oz.au!metro!ipso!stca77!peter
From: peter@stca77.stc.oz (Peter Jeremy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics
Subject: Re: FractInt for Amiga ?
Summary: Not possible
Keywords: fractals, mandelbrot
Message-ID: <1223@stca77.stc.oz>
Date: 31 Jan 91 20:26:13 GMT
References: <219@nos850.UUCP>
Organization: Alcatel-STC, Alexandria, AUSTRALIA
Lines: 24
Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are those of the author only

In article <219@nos850.UUCP> joem@nos850.UUCP (Joe Muller) writes:
> Anybody know if it was ever ported to the
>amiga ?  In the doc file it says that the PC source is available, has anybody
>attempted to compile it ?

I extracted the sources for FRACTINT14 when it first appeared, with the
intention of trying to get some of the code running on my Amiga.  I spent
several hours studying it and decided that it was hopeless.

In writing FRACTINT, no attempt was made to make it portable.  The code is
about 1/3 assembler - all of which would need to be re-written.  Of the C,
large slabs of code contain machine dependencies - like 80x86 segments,
display adapters, keyboard tables.  These dependencies permeate the code
and would require a massive effort to eradicate.

Note that I am not having a go at the authors.  Having seen the program
running, they have done a wonderful job.  Making the program generally
portable would have entailed far more effort, and probably resulted in
significantly poorer performance.
-- 
Peter Jeremy (VK2PJ)         peter@stca77.stc.oz.AU
Alcatel STC Australia        ...!uunet!stca77.stc.oz!peter
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