Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!olivea!oliveb!amiga!jimm
From: jimm@amiga.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.amiga
Subject: Re: Graphics on Amiga Unix???
Message-ID: <6374@amiga.UUCP>
Date: 11 Feb 91 10:12:22 GMT
References: <WARREN.91Feb4125422@rainbow.atmos.washington.edu> <992@amix.commodore.com> <1991Feb11.031630.15334@stb.info.com>
Organization: I and I Computing, Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 68

(Michael Gersten) writes:
)(Mike "Ford" Ditto) writes:

)>For now, X is the "portable" way to do graphics; there may be GKS or
)>some similar library later.
)
)Wait a sec...you mean that there is no access to layers.library or
)intuition.library?

They're in a whole different world, Michael.  Integrating unix and
amigaOS is a big project.  Intuition isn't going to be doing much
without Exec, input.device, and so on.

I think Apple has a real advantage running Mac apps under their
unix--not that I know much about the details--because this brings
down the price of applications (higher volume than would be generated
on unix for a good while), and I hope C= does the research for
the Amiga equivalent.

But clearly the job of a unix box is to focus first on the standards.
The Amiga difference is gravy.  Persons writing amiga-unix-specific
applications at this time would have to be ... very far-sighted at best.

I hope that if somebody has a special application, probably something
"device level", they can get a more effective way to get to
the blitter and copper.  And copper and vblank interrupts.

But that's a far cry from trying to carry along layers and Intuition.

)Is there any good reason why a unix process can't link against
)a library that has the same calling interface as these two creatures
)and supports the same features? Granted, it may be as simple as a
)library that does IPC to a program that has the ROMS as part of its
)program space (which would actually be useful as it would then take
)up MUCH less space than X, and be usable in a 2 meg configuration).

There's more to the libraries than the calling interface, right?
Intuition uses semaphores, for example, which use and rely on
Exec's task model, which you might be able to get up and running
as a task under unix, but it's certainly not going to be arbitrating
access between multiple unix threads.  At least I wouldn't want to
wait until then for my unix box.

)Also, what do you mean, "MOST of the Amiga graphics modes"?
)What's not supported, and why?

Again speaking from experience, there are some very odd Amiga graphics
modes around these days, and anybody with a long prioritized todo
list would be most wise to hedge on committing to support all of
them.

I think they've been wise to support the standard "portable" stuff
on the ulowell card, rather than spending much time on A2024 mode,
or even "productivity mode", bang-for-buck-wise.

)		Michael

)"Space is an illusion; disk space doubly so"

And ROM space?  Nature abhors no vacuum greater than she abhors
headroom in a ROM.

	jimm

-- 
--- opinions expressed herein are my own. ---
"... Because they can."
		- profound punchline to joke about dogs


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