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From: jww@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU (Joel West)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac II
Message-ID: <2817@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU>
Date: Fri, 6-Mar-87 12:13:06 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.2817
Posted: Fri Mar  6 12:13:06 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Mar-87 06:30:36 EST
References: <4354@utah-cs.UUCP> <422@yabbie.rmit.oz>
Organization: Western Software Technology, Vista, CA
Lines: 24

In article <422@yabbie.rmit.oz>, rcopm@yabbie.rmit.oz (Paul Menon) writes:
>     I am a bit cornfused as well.  The original QuickDraw had software support
> for 32 bit planes.  Now the new Mac, Namely Mac II, ie the one which will not 
> only support colour in software [ oops, *color* for you guys :-) ] but be able
> to show it as well , has, according to various RUMOURS, 16, 8, 24 and 
> who-knows-what other powers of two or 68k address limits.  I myself thought 
> 32 bit planes were too much to hope for (memory!), but would have been ideal.

The original QD actually supported only 8 colors in 3 bit planes, period.  

The new QD software supports 2^48 possible colors.  The current hardware
allows 2^24 distinct colors of those to be used.

Depending on the color card, colors can be implemented through bit planes, 
or through a 'chunky' scheme (if bit planes are vertical, then chunky are 
horizontal arrangements of the bits corresponding to a pixel.)  The 
current Apple and SuperMac* cards offer up to 8 bits per pixel, which 
allows any 256 colors of the 2^24 colors supported by the card to be displayed.

* Thanks, Larry.
-- 
	Joel West
	{ucbvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!jww	(ihnp4!gould9!joel once I fix news)
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