Second Sight board

[vmbb!pro-newton!pro-dan!danb (Dan Brown)]

I just read through Jawaid's posting on c.b.a2 with questions and answers
about the Second Sight card, and came up with a few questions and
observations.  In no particular order:

        Drew Vogan designed the card.  Cool!  He's been known to do some good
stuff before...  (Prolly has something to do with why the Z180 was selected,
too).  How long has the design been done?  Was this something that's been
sitting on a shelf for a while, or is it a new design?

        Does the shadowing slow down screen displays?  Is it compatible with
such infamous software as the FTA demos?

        The high-resolution text modes sound mondo cool.  Do they support
attributes other than inverse (bold, underline, etc)?  This could provide the
foundation for a great VT100 emulator.

        How much would VRAM upgrades cost?  Are the parts available through
"normal" channels, or would they need to be ordered from Sequential?  In,
say, the 640x480x256 mode, what would the "left-over" VRAM be used for? 
Storing other screens and being able to quickly flip between them?

        Would it be feasible to allow for a 640x480x16.7m mode with 1MB VRAM?

        A while ago, the suggestion of an X port under GNO/ME was made, and
dismissed due (in part) to lack of desktop real estate.  Could that be
considered again?

        Why the requirement that the SS card be in slot 3 on a ROM 01 GS?  Is
there such a requirement in a //e?

        Does the board require any kind of configuration, or is it "plug and
play"?

        Jawaid, this sounds like a really, incredibly cool product.  Post a
release when it's available, and I _will_ buy one.  Thanks!

 --
Dan Brown, KE6MKS
pro-dan!danb@pro-newton.cts.com
Don't Tread on Me.