Re: /dev/video ?

[Anthony Jacques <jacquesa@zetnet.co.uk>]

Hi

> we have /dev/audio, what about a sort of a /dev/video (or whatever name
> for it)?

A good idea... but is it practical?

> - allocating separate screens in the ST RAM without messing up the
>   area assigned to the VDI output (f.e. we are playing a game which 
>   uses the screen directly in customized video mode, and by this time we
>   have normal desktop underneath - no need to lock the screen against
>   writes from other programs etc., GEM applications can still run in
>   the background on multitasking systems).

These could be handled like V-Consoles, which would be rather cool.

> This could also include emulation for a hardware, that we don't have
> (e.g. the device could optionally emulate proper ST/TT/Falcon video
> hardware behaviour on gfx cards, i know that it may be hard).

This would be nice... but as you say hard...

> I think such a device, if well planned, 

Yes, this is a key point... it definately needs planning - this is what
is wrong with all of the existing Atari video mode calls - they were not
thought about with the future in mind...

> may facilitate writing games,
> demos and other programs those need to access the screen directly, and
> designing them to run in multitasking. So, sort of DirectX.

Yes, it *could* allow this to be done, but *would* it be done? At the
moment, very few games are MiNT specific, and and I suspect that few
programmers would be interested in making their games MiNT specific.

I would (probably) make a STOS extension to allow STOS programmers
access to it, but I doubt that many would use it - although if it
is possible (maybe using conditional code in the extension) to use
the same API under single-TOS as under MiNT then programmers will use
it (remember that there are still issues with STOS, and other games
systems with MP/Multitasking).

> What do you think? 

For some kind of "DirectX" style interface to be used, I think we 
need widespread support for it. This may be a way to go, but IMO 
it would need to be implemented under Magic as well. 

Preferably also available under single-tasking TOS as well (but this 
cannot happen, AIUI, using  /dev/video), using an \auto\ TSR.

How does this fit with the accelleration planned with fVDI? 

Anthony
-- 
----------------------------------------+-------------------------------
Anthony Jacques           IRC: AnthonyJ | Bad Mood, GEM-DEU, FracTalk,
                          ICQ: 11287923 | STOS patching, Falcon Extn,
jacquesa@zetnet.co.uk                   | MiNT.CNF, Reschange, Tuna,
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/jacquesa/ | and more... which shall I do?
----------------------------------------+-------------------------------