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From: phil@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Phil Howard KA9WGN)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.programmer
Subject: Is OS/2 really usable for programming?
Message-ID: <1991Jun5.212129.11089@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 5 Jun 91 21:21:29 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Lines: 32

I have heard from several sources that OS/2 is really the way to go, but I
still have my doubts based on some other and same sources of information.

So I'd like to pose some questions about programming applications to run
under OS/2 as well as MS-DOS.

I want my program to be able to trap and handle every keyboard state change
that takes place.  I want to handle both up and down keystrokes in any
combination.  Under MS-DOS I would just have my program take over the
interrupt handling of the keyboard directly.  How do I make a program do
this under OS/2?

I want my program to be able to write directly to VGA buffers and registers
for the purpose of writing to the screen at the maximum possible speed, and
to be able to pan and scroll the screen smoothly at high speeds.  I also
want to be able to setup special modes such as 360x480x256 and others that
the VGA cards are actually capable of (not all the same for all cards, I do
know).  Under MS-DOS I can easily take control of the video card and do
just what I want.  How do I do this under OS/2?

This article is not to argue the merits of or lack thereof of bypassing the
BIOS or OS to do such things that might cause problems under other systems.
The nature of what I want to do necessitates doing it this way unless the OS
has provides very high performance and flexible interfaces for it.

I just want to know if OS/2 is going to be more hassle than it is worth as
some have already suggested to me w/o much supportive evidence.
-- 
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/ Phil Howard -- KA9WGN -- phil@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu   |  Guns don't aim guns at  \
\ Lietuva laisva -- Brivu Latviju -- Eesti vabaks  |  people; CRIMINALS do!!  /
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