[MiNT] news from the vcons front

[Martin-Eric Racine <q-funk@pp.fishpool.com>]

This is the reply I got from Steeve Moore.... ;-)

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Martin-Eric Racine        http://www.pp.fishpool.fi/~q-funk/M-E/
The Atari TT030 Homepage       http://funkyware.atari.org/TT030/
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 22:34:15 +0100 (GMT Daylight Time)
From: Steven Moore <smooreg@essex.ac.uk>
To: Martin-Eric Racine <q-funk@pp.fishpool.com>
Subject: Re: MiNT vcons

> Hello Steve,

    Hi.

> thank you for your contribution to MiNT.  

    <grin> No problem. It started as a little hack to get vconsd working right 
on my RGB monitor. It finished up as a medium-sized patch, but most of the 
really clever stuff was done before me. I was just the goon who almost fried 
his monitors. :)

> I was wondering if you know anything about TT video hardware, so we could 
> implement the ANSI color support on TT too, by allowing vcons to use 
> TT-medium instead of ST-High?

    <thinks> I have the Atari Compendium, and well-thumbed it is too (despite 
being uselessly incorrect about the Videl). It gives some important information 
on this. 

    Most of the TT framework code is already in place, all that's really 
required is to give the display code details of the resolution to be used, and 
tell it to use the new resolution instead. I could probably patch something 
together in a few minutes, but I haven't got a TT, so I have no means to test 
the code.

    You're welcome, as is anyone else, to assist and try it out if you like, 
but remember to keep one hand on the reset switch when changing resolutions, 
and I won't be held responsible if running an experimental version crashes your 
harddisk, or boils your cat, or whatever. ;) 

    I found it helpful - nay, essential - to run a single-user shell before 
vconsd, so that in the event that it barfs, it can be replaced with a known 
stable version so that development may continue. Those who intend to run 
experimental versions should absolutely do this, as I found to my cost when I 
had to turn my squealing and complaining monitor off and copy the stable 
version back while typing blind. <g>

    I think vconsd ought to be organised and, well, developed. It needs 
drivers - video hardware drivers with resolution selection (TT needs some, as 
do the graphics cards... and the Milan? The Hades? Would it even be feasible to 
use the actual VGA-type text resolutions, or is that a sick idea?), and 
optimised display drivers (movep, anyone?... already on the cards).

    I think one of the issues here is configuration. I'd be the first to admit 
that the current /etc/resolution thing is a bit of a kludge. Aside from 
anything else, it annoys me when I change monitors (running an SVGA resolution 
on an RGB monitor isn't kind). [ Feature idea: /etc/resolution.vga? 
/etc/resolution.rgb? See where I'm going? ]

    I'm also toying with the idea of optionally specifying fonts for any 
combination of italic/bold/bold-italic, or using the (default) texteffects 
instead. Certainly I think italic would look nicer if it had a custom font.

    I also notice that killing vconsd when not on the console, neglects to 
switch back to the console resolution before it leaves. I'd like to fix that, 
if possible - it bugs me.

    Later on today, I'll be on IRC, setting up a proper MiNT virtual-consoles 
webpage. It needs a home, I reckon, because we might end up with a lot of scary 
code forks when 10 hackers each their own implement video setting code for any 
one of 6 different graphics card, or whatever. It would be nice if we had 
somewhere to put the code, so it can support as much as possible.

    When it's finished (maybe never, but when it's up, at least <g>), the 
vconsoles home will be at:

    http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~smooreg/vconsoles/

    (Oh, and, um, am I on the MiNTlist? If not, do you know how I can 
subscribe?)

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