Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!iuvax!purdue!decwrl!
From: res12@snoopy.UMD.EDU (Matthew T. Russotto)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac II and VGA  (icky-poo, IBM stuff)
Message-ID: <8905031407.AA16840@snoopy.UMD.EDU>
Date: 3 May 89 14:07:21 GMT
References: <1531@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> <8264@chinet.chi.il.us> <492@biar.UUCP> <1783@ccnysci.UUCP> <7848@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <2235@pur-phy>
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Lines: 25

In article <2235@pur-phy> sho@newton.physics.purdue.edu.UUCP (Sho Kuwamoto) writes:
>In article <7848@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> chow@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (Christopher Chow) writes:
>>What I'd always wanted to know was why Apple didn't support a 3-bit mode on
>>their video card.  Why might one want a 3-bit graphics mode?  Well, 3-bits
>>would be suffcient to render the colors found in the [non color] quickdraw
>>programs and it should be faster than 4-bit mode since there's less bits to
>>move around.
>
>But if you have only 3 bits/pixel, a pixel can cross a byte boundary.
>I suppose you could introduce padding, but that would be nasty as
>well.
>
>-Sho


I think a 3-bit mode would definitely be SLOWER than the 4 bit mode, for the
reason you mention.  Actually, 8-bit mode is FASTER than 4-bit mode, since
Quickerdraw and/or system 6.0.x, because it is much quicker to move a byte at
a time rather than a nybble..
-- 
DISCLAIMER:  Not only does the University not share my opinions,
             they don't want me sharing my opinions.
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             Matthew T. Russotto
	     res12@snoopy.umd.edu (this semester only)