Re: SecondSight & TrueColor

[spector@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article bazyar@netcom.com (Jawaid Bazyar) writes...
>
>spector@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector) writes:
> 
>>(remember
>>that both these cards are risk investments for IIgs users, they have
>>the potential to become another "SuperSprite 16" board. 
> 
>  What was the "SuperSprite 16" board?

	It was the first (and one of the only) video enhancement board 
produced for the Apple II. Looking back at it, it was the TurboRez of the 
last decade! :) A company called Synetix released this board back around 
1982. It plugged into slot 7 of the Apple II,II+,IIe and worked by 
overlaying hardware sprites (each with it's own plane) onto the Hi-Res 
screen. It was a kind of graphic co-processor since it didn't require 
any extra work from the 6502 to do animation. I believe it also offered 
16 colors (before Double-Hi-Res existed) and possibly a slightly improved 
resolution, but my memory is a bit clouded on that. It sold for $395 US. 
Another company went on to produce the "StarSprite", which was basically 
a competitive clone, but in the end both cards failed because of their 
price and lack of software.

	Gee, doesn't all this sound vagely famillar? :) Let's hope that
history doesn't repeat itself, and there's two ways to make sure: Price
the card in reach of users _and_ produce software to support it. You can
certainly learn a lesson from a spectre of the past...

> Jawaid Bazyar              |   Like UNIX? Like your Apple IIGS? Then ask
> Procyon, Inc.              |   me about GNO/ME for the Apple IIgs!   
> bazyar@netcom.com          |   P.O Box 620334
> --Apple II Forever!--      |   Littleton, CO 80162-0334   (303) 781-3273

Mitchell Spector
m_spect@pavo.concordia.ca / spector@vax2.concordia.ca