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SubjectRe: GGI Project Unhappy On Linux
Date
tzanger@benshaw.com writes:

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Interesting...

>> You will be, because of the "Windows 98" video cards that don't
>> have standard text mode support. I'm serious about that. The free
>> text console is going to be gone in a few years. Then what?
>> Would you like to see boot messages?
>
> Sorry, I don't buy it. The BIOS requires textmode to boot and
> run setup.

That is _your_ BIOS. In case you haven't noticed, some BIOS setup
programs already run in graphics mode, with a mouse even. That's
not even counting Compaq, with BIOS setup done through Windows.

No, this is real. You might get a really slow software emulation,
like the console of a Sun workstation. SPARC Linux bypasses that
because it is too damn slow for real work.

> Getting rid of INT10 support in the new BIOS is a far shot, IMO.
> There will *always* be texmode, because it is so simple and
> "idiot proof" to work with.

Text mode is complex, because it requires extra hardware.
Windows can already emulate INT10.

> Graphics mode will become very much mainstream, but you will
> never lose textmode, IMO.

You wish. Modems will always have UARTs and printers...

>> a. Yes they are.
>> b. Somebody might want to use display postscript without X.
>
> Do you speak for me? I don't think so. Games are VERY LOW on
> my list of what i use my computer for. Graphics, yes. Games, no.

I'm not speaking for you. I'm looking at the average of all Linux
users. You bring the average down, but games are still in the top 10.
Don't think I'm a gamer either, because I seldom use games. I'm not
sure I have 10 other more important things though. (software development,
Internet access... maybe a few other things but not 10)

>> You don't understand PC video hardware very well if you really think
>> that you can set a video mode without a full video driver. It would
>> work on a few cards, but not most. Maybe the Matrox Millennium is OK.
>
> MOV AX, 3
> INT 10h
>
> Oops, I just set a video mode through BIOS.

Nope, you made the video card lock up your PCI bus. The BIOS can
set a video mode if it knows what mode you are already in or if
you are the fortunate owner of a well-behaved card.

> Silly me. True it's not fast.
> True it's not 1024x768x32bpp, but it suffices for most of my needs.
>
> It seems to me that games are a very high priority on your list
> of things. That's fine.

Nope. You'd like to think GGI proponents are all serious gamers,
wouldn't you? I'd like to play a game once a month or so.

I'd like X to be secure and stable, with DMA and cli() in the kernel
where they are legal. I'd like to see GNUstep without X.

> But putting people down because of the hardware they buy,
> making comments on their finanial status...

Really, I don't care why you can't afford a better card.
It's no problem.

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