Date:	Mon, 12 May 1997 22:09:39 -0500
From:	dfremlin AT facstaff DOT wisc DOT edu (John Fremlin)
To:	opendos AT delorie DOT com
Subject:	OpenDOS graphics drivers
Message-ID:	<kA5dz8ew4y1d092yn@facstaff.wisc.edu>
In-Reply-To:	<Pine.LNX.3.95.970511025921.26978E-100000@55-174.hy.cgocable.ca>
Lines:	39

Pierre Phaneuf <pp AT 55-174 DOT hy DOT cgocable DOT ca> typed:
[snip]
>
>Exactly! Note that no multitasking OS will *EVER* beat bare 16-bit DOS for
>game performance... A game running on DOS via a DOS extender is the
>fastest thing around. No DirectX or WinG will ever get you faster than
>that. Linux won't do any better.

No - there are zillions of specialized SVGA cards that each
have their own little secrets and optimizations. Having the
manufacturer provide the video routines (DirectX, etc) means
that a game will run optimized on whichever SVGA card is installed
and relieves the poor game programmer of the impossible task
of supporting each and every card.

(I am not sure that this manufacturer's writing their own
drivers idea is actually DirectX, because I have never programmed
under Windows. If I am wrong, please correct me)

This currently cannot be done under DOS, and DOS is AFAIK
still faster than DirectX but that may (will) change as SVGA
manufacturers concentrate on Windows (DirectX, etc.) graphics
speed and as 3D accelerators become more common.

DOS + DirectX would still be faster than Windows + DirectX

So, how about a DirectX-like interface for OpenDOS?
I have no idea as to how difficult this would be and
whether any manufacturers would support it but I think
that it would be a great idea.
(It would, naturally, be in a separate package from the kernel)


-- 
John Fremlin (dfremlin AT facstaff DOT wisc DOT edu)
             (fremdh AT essex DOT ac DOT uk)

                  Back off man, We're scientists!!!

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