9fans archive / 2000 / 12 / 41 /    prev next

From: Lucio De Re <lucio@pro...>
Subject: Re: [9fans] VGA Hell, what else?!
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 06:03:36 +0200

On Fri, Dec 08, 2000 at 12:28:50PM +1000, George Michaelson wrote:
> 
> ok second take. during install phases, M$ drives the screen as a 640x480
> take-it-or-leave-it or is it even CGA 320x240?
> 
This has been explained before, although I didn't pay enough attention at
the time to recall correctly now :-(  But it should be in the mailing
list archives.

> this implies all cards have some level of activity which works and supplies
> both bitmap and ASCII text services. 16 colours. flickery as hell. 
> 
Something to do with the hardware cursor?  Maybe not...

It is unfortunate that the Plan 9 developers are so serious :-)  Graphic
games are a significant aspect of the more popular operating systems, and
Plan 9 is sorely lacking in that direction.  Not that that isn't in
itself an advantage, keeping the more frivolous developers at bay, but it
does deter from serious developers applying their skills to port
otherwise solid, but graphic-demanding applications to Plan 9.

A graphic ABI (what's that "B"?  'Tused to be a "P", can someone explain
the difference?) would be wonderful, but looking at the X11(3) man pages,
I fall into the deepest despair.  A pity, really, I'd like Tcl/Tk to be
available in Plan 9.

Mind you, I'd like Expect even more, and I have no clue how to make
_that_ work, either.

++L