Re: A plug for Second Sight card

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

In article <336691C0.D18@no.no>, Eric Jacobs  <no@no.no> wrote:
>> If you want a Second Sight card and the best text screen you will
>                                               ~~~~
>> ever see on a IIgs, get one now while they are still available.

>It seems strange to be advertising a GRAPHICS card that it will improve
>your TEXT screen, doesn't it?

   Well, the SS card does use a VGA chipset, so you'll get the
standard IBM PC text font. That font is a bit bolder than the standard
Apple II font, so it may be easier to read. With the right drivers,
that'd also give you control over individual character and background
colors for about the first time since the Apple III. [Yet another good
thing that Apple decided shouldn't go to any Apple II model, even the
GS.]

>If people are serious about supporting this Second Sight card, let's
>work on getting Quickdraw level support for its new graphics modes and
>resolutions.

   Go talk to Mike Hackett. He's been working on this for quite some
time, and has something of an API, etc. at least in beta form. Problem
is, there are a fair number of things for Quickdraw that a lot of
programs assume, such as non-square pixels, fixed screen sizes, access
to the screen through both the toolbox and non-toolbox methods, etc.


> Honestly, it could be as simple as dropping a Tool004 into
>your System folder, and your GS could be a whole new machine (including
>the ability to actually display a decent amount of information on the
>screen at once!)

   I doubt it'll be that simple initially, as you'd still have to
fight any programs that bypass the toolbox, especially ones that
bypass it sporadically. I don't own a SS, and am not really involved
with this project, so if Mike and company have managed to pull off
some serious magic to make everything work, so much the better.

Nathan Mates
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/      <*>
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