Re: Windows Assembly

Richard Cooper <spamandviruses@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> And *** the 3D, I just want to be able to switch back
> and forth between 1024x768x24 and 640x480x8, something
> VESA could do easily,

Looks pretty standard to me:


$ apropos vesa
mode3 (8) - set a vesa mode
$ man mode3
mode3(8) Svgalib User Manual mode3(8)

NAME
mode3 - set a vesa mode.

SYNOPSIS
mode3 [modenum]

DESCRIPTION
The video card is set to vesa mode modenum (or 3 by
default) using the (real mode) vesa bios calls.

BUGS
Using this program is unsafe, and might (depending
on the bios) result in a video card in a state that
requires a hard reset to restore to normal, or even a
hung computer.

Svgalib (>= 1.4.0) 11 Mar 1999 mode3(8)


> and once that VESA driver is in the kernel,

WTF put graphics in the kernel? They're proven unstable!
And the general [Li]nux philosophy is toward minimalist kernels.
Nothing that can be done in userland should go in.

> did the computer I had before these two. All of those X
> screensavers that require OpenGL, they run slower than ***.

A screensaver is supposed to run fast? I expect sleep() calls.

> Let me guess, Id released the source code and someone ported
> it to Linux?

Nope. QuakeII Collosus retail box. P5 166 MHz, Linux
2.0.24+ 24 MB RAM #DFX/OpenGL. I also have HereticII with
Tux on the box.

> that Apache can work the same on all Linux systems,
> but only by relying on the Linux API.

Apache runs on many systems, certainly including *BSD
and Slowlaris. AFAIK including MS-Win*

> What about the non-bleeding edge? Or do we just forget
> about that?

The general assumption is that the speed of modern hardware
permits slower software techniques to satisfy.

-- Robert

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