Re: DoodlesKids - a painting program for young kids

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

Polymorph wrote:
>   To: limtc
> limtc wrote:
> 
>>I think it might be too difficult to modify all the toolbox (menu,
>>windows, etc). But it might be possible to just modify QuickDraw for
>>full screen display. This means it might not be possible to write a
>>full desktop-based web browser in 640x480 mode, but it is possible to
>>write one in 640x200 mode, but when opening a web page, show in
>>640x480 full screen in 256 colors (press ESC to go back). I think this
>>will be amazing if it is possible.
>>
>>On 5锟斤拷27锟斤拷, 锟斤拷锟斤拷11时41锟斤拷, Michael Kent <mich...@syndicomm.remove.this.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>
>>>This might be a good intermediate step between picture viewer support and
>>>full video driver support: modifying the toolbox to open up a new graphics
>>>mode for programs that want to support it.
>>
>>--- Synchronet 3.14a-Win32 NewsLink 1.85
> 
> 
> If you're talking about creating graphics modes with *new* hardware,
> would it not be a more practical solution to create a *new* tool set
> (System or User) to handle the new resolution(s), rather than modifying
> the existing Quickdraw tool set?
> 
> I mean, the hardware is likely to be considerably different in
> implementation than what the existing IIgs video hardware has to offer
> (isn't it?), so I would think creating new line drawing, polygon
> drawing, filling, etc.. routines would be vastly different anyhow since
> they would be dependent on the new hardware. By having a new tool set,
> it also has the added benefit of separating the new routines from the
> old. This would make maintaining the tool set easier as well, and not
> have any detrimental effects to the existing Quickdraw functionality.
> People who purchased the new video hardware would simply install a new
> tool set to be able to use it.
> 
> That's my 2 bobs worth.

Doing it this way is equivalent to producing an alternate video
card for the IIgs, in the same way that the "sprite" cards for
the Apple II were produced.

The downside is that they are then *only* used by software written
explicitly for them.

That may not seem like much of a problem, but it means that GSOS and
all the programs you currently run will not use the new card, and will
not, for example, output VGA video--so you will need two monitors on
your desk.

It's very important to think out the whole "ecology" of creating and
implementing a new video standard--for the IIgs or anything else.

The SecondSight people didn't do this very well, and the result was
failure.

As has been pointed out by many before, "doing it right" involves
a prodigious amount of software work that is very unlikely at this
stage of the platform's life.

Modernizing part of an older platform has the propensity to create
a "frankenmachine" with few applications and less allure than the
original (because of cost, if for no other reason).

Modernizing the whole thing is actually creating a new machine, and
may be difficult to construe as being part of the continuity of the
old machine, particularly since modern implementations make radical
extensions that were impractical "in the day" very easy.

-michael

AppleCrate: An Apple II "blade server"!
Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."