Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 16:12:12 +0200 From: Hans-Bernhard Broeker Message-Id: <199908121412.QAA17347@acp3bf.physik.rwth-aachen.de> To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com Subject: Re: vga vs VESA with gnuplot Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp Organization: RWTH Aachen, III. physikalisches Institut B X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com In article <199908111957 DOT OAA21982 AT darwin DOT sfbr DOT org> you wrote: > I'm using the djgpp port of gnuplot---it's very nice. The readme.dj2 > doc says that two options (among others) for the GRX20DRV environment > variable (used by the GRX-2.3 graphix library) are > SET GRX20DRV=VESA gw gh nc > SET GRX20DRV=stdvga gw gh nc > OTOH the `set terminal' command in gnuplot accepts `svga' but > does not recognize `VESA'. You're confusing two kinds of 'set' commands, it seems. The 'set terminal' command inside gnuplot is independent of what you set GRX20DRV to. For using the graphical screen in DJGPP-compiled gnuplot, you should always 'set term svga' (it's the default, too). 'set term svga' in gnuplot will activate use of the GRX library. From there on, it's an issue of configuring GRX for your graphics card. This is done by environment variables, which can be 'set' at the command line prompt or in autoexec.bat, i.e. outside gnuplot. If you have DJGPP installed, you can also put a line into DJGPP.ENV, to save environment space for non-DJGPP programs. But be careful not to damage your DJGPP.ENV. It's a bit fragile. The single most important environment variable for configuring GRX is 'GRX20DRV'. For most cards SET GRX20DRV=VESA gw 800 gh 600 nc 256 is a good starting point that should work. For details, you'll want to consult the GRX documentation. There's to much to this to explain all of it in a newsgroup answer. > Can someone explain to me the difference between stdvga and VESA > (I know what the acronyms stand for :), and when one would be > preferred over the other? For all 'usual' cases, use VESA and never look back. Only if VESA doesn't work, you'll want to investigate the alternatives. 'stdvga' is the ultra-conservative driver. It should work on any card calling itself VGA compatible or higher, i.e. practically every card built since 1990 or so. It won't offer more than 320x200x256 or 640x480x16, though, which is painfully bad for modern standards. So you probably won't want to use this except as a fallback solution, where VESA doesn't work. -- Hans-Bernhard Broeker (broeker AT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de) Even if all the snow were burnt, ashes would remain.