Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 12:22:54 +0200 (MET DST) From: Mark Habersack Reply-To: grendel AT ananke DOT amu DOT edu DOT pl To: Mihai Moise cc: djgpp AT delorie DOT com Subject: Re: allegro author? In-Reply-To: <3235EFA8.167EB0E7@ift.ulaval.ca> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Tue, 10 Sep 1996, Mihai Moise wrote: >> Well... I think it doesn't make sense to write such an interface. Allegro is a >> self-contained library in every aspect and writing an interface to SVGAlib >> would be just creating a new front-end. Allegro has completely different model >> of driver structure. What you should do is to isolate the parts tightly M$-DOG >> related and re-write them Linux-like. >> > >Not really, Mark. Allegro relies on a VESA UniVBE host for mode >switching, if I have read the sources correctly. And it does so using >real-mode interrupts. Real-mode interrupts don't look too good in Linux, Doesn't it use BIOS interrupts for the supported cards? And BIOS INTs are quite well supported under Linux 2.0.0. >notice I am not saying its impossible. Besides, to take advantage of >linear framebuffers, a Linux user would have to buy $citech's DD. Linear buffers, yes, this would require much work to implement on Allegro/Linux... > >> >2) rewrite keyboard functions >> An easy one - you might use libkb. Or even it might not be necessary to change >> the keyboard handling routines of allegro. AFAIR, Allegro installs hw int >> handler for keyboard? If so, then, as long as PC platform is concerned, you >> are in home with what you have in Allegro. If, however, you want to use >> Allegro also on other hardware platforms then you have to create an >> independent interface to UNIX kernel's kb handler. > >Hardware interrupt handler? Ouuch!... Linux won't like that... ( and you >know the fate of processes which Linux doesn't like! ) I withdraw what I said 'bout Allegro hw handler. It's really not good idea to use it on Linux. But libkb is ok, isn't it? ********************************************************************** So if you ask me how do I feel inside, I could honestly tell you we've been taken on a very long ride. And if my owners let me have free time some day, with all good intention I would probably run away! Clutching the short straw... ******************* http://ananke.amu.edu.pl/~grendel ****************