XGS32 Upcoming Release

[!smentzer@ecom.net (Steve Mentzer)]

Based upon the lack of *all* development efforts for a Win32 IIgs emulator, I 
recently took upon the responsibility for re-engineering the psuedo-portable 
XGS core for a Win32 platform.

Here is what I found.

	o Code portability sucks. If not done right, the code is a mess
	  the read and modify.
	o Win32 isn't as slow as some people think when compared to Linux.
 	  A properly written Win32 application can be just as fast as it's
	  Linux counterpart, if not faster.
	o The entire XGS core is in major need of a rewrite.

So, here is what I did...

	o Removed all "portability" options from the source code.
	  The code base is now Win32 based, plain and simple, and will
	  continue to evolve in that direction.
	o Cleaned up the entire source code tree. It was a complete mess.
	  Dependency issues have been corrected, and the entire code tree
 	  is significantly more readable.
	o Made the core an ActiveX/ATL-COM DLL that can be used within
	  visual basic 5.0. The core runs as a seperate thread, so your
	  VB app will not affect performance in any way.

And here is what I found....

	o Writing a VB front end for the new XGS/32 core is SIMPLE.
	  Even a brain dead dolt with a little VB experience can use it.
	o XGS isn't very fast. In fact, the core is terribly inefficient.
	o DirectDraw/Win32 isn't the source of the slowdown. It is inefficiency
	  within the core. 
	o The entire XGS sound subsystem needs to be rewritten.

 Benchmarks:
 -----------

	All tests run under WindowsNT v4.0 SP3

		o Dell Pentium II/400Mhz w/STB Velocity 128 
		  video card.

			Average Speed Under GS/OS 6.01:   	6.7Mhz
			Average Speed Running Task Force Demo:	7.1Mhz

		o Dell Pentium II/300Mhz w/Matrox Millenium II
		  video card.

			Average Speed Under GS/OS 6.01:		5.9Mhz
			Average Speed Running Task Force Demo:	6.3Mhz


Is it fast?  No, not at all. In the current core implementation, is it 
optimized for Win32 and all of it's "features". No.

I am continuing work, and will keep you informed of when a release is 
available.

Thanks!

smentzer@ecom.net