Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!caen!uwm.edu!rpi!uupsi!sunic!lth.se!kberg!svante From: svante@kberg.se (Svante Gellerstam) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: OS Graphic Card Support: Part II! Message-ID: <1991Feb14.092401.1067@kberg.se> Date: 14 Feb 91 09:24:01 GMT References: <28532.27b759c9@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> <1991Feb13.064714.9347@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> Organization: Karlberg & Karlberg AB, Lund, Sweden Lines: 53 In article <1991Feb13.064714.9347@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> kdarling@hobbes.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling) writes: >Sure. As with any computer, much of the speed of Amiga applications comes >from programmers directly diddling the gfx memory. Obviously, either >this must stop, or else you'll still need separate versions for each and >every new piece of hardware... no matter what CBM does with DIG. >For instance, if a new display card used chunky pixels, instead of >separate bitplanes, direct diddling methods would differ. Basically (the big differance, that is) the speed comes from the Blitter and Copper. Even most games tends to be heavily blitter oriented. Most utility programs uses system calls for display update for compatibility across OS revisions (with different degrees of success :-). Those calls could be Blitter or CPU dependant - the application doesn't know or care. Unfortunately almost the entire gfx subsystem of today rotates around the BitPlane concept (naturally). A few calls work independently (bar the byte color def), (Write|Read)Pixel(), Move() and Draw() and so on. A number of new calls duplicating the functionality of Blit* and other Plane related calls would open the doors for DIG or RTG or whatever on chooses to call it. >Unfortunately, for superfast realtime gfx work, I can't see any way to ask >programmers to use only DIG on _any_ machine right now . Still, >you might want to push at the app writers, instead of at CBM. OTOH, if >you're happy with two monitors (one for "normal" apps, one for new DIG >apps on another board), then some of the above doesn't apply. Every Amiga is equipped with the PAD that made Amigas reputation over the world. Since it is in there, the 1084 / 1950 or whatever still has a function. A funny thing is that even the extreme video pros are not prepared to look away from the games market... >My second comment is this: CBM gains zippo by keeping their current DIG >work quiet... with the proliferation of new gfx boards right now, they >should release at least some guidelines and ideas. Now, perhaps they >have already done this with gfx board developers... we just don't know. >But we can hope so! I also think that if Commodore told the world where they are in the gfx race, many more would-be gfx card manufacturers would see the point in making their gfx technology available to the Amiga market. I also suspect that Commodore isn't actively trying to inform 3rd party gfx HW developers. Anyone who knows different? -- Svante Gellerstam svante@kberg.se, d87sg@efd.lth.se