[GEM Development] FreeGEM drivers updated

[Thomas Clayton]

John,

I notice (it jumps out to the trained eye) under GEM/3 there is a
"VESA (1024x768x256 and 800x600x16)" 
driver but under GEM/4 and GEM/5 it is listed as
"VESA (1024x768x16 and 800x600x16)"
and
"VESA (1024x768x16 and 800x600x16)".

I seem to remember you working on a 1024x768 driver but, in discussion on this list, you told me the internal pallet in GEM didn't support 256 colors. Did something change (i.e. did YOU change something)?

I'm, also, wondering why the GEM/3 _can_ support the higher colors but the later and, presumably, more modern GEM/4 and GEM/5 are not able to. Hmmm.

When it says "VESA", that's like SciTech Software's VESA BIOS Extension (VBE) TSR or manufactuer's ROM based one?




For recent joiners (or long-time members): my interest in 256 colors stems from the fact "the web" has set a common standard (above 16) colors that ALL browsers (and the systems which run them) can agree upon. There are 6x6x6 (6-cubed) or 216 "web-safe" colors that, if used in a webpage, will appear the same to all viewers. What about the other 40 (to make 256)? Doesn't matter. Define (use) them as you wish.

YES. Almost everyone uses "millions" of colors as their setting so this (216 colors) is, now, passe (like GEM) BUT this would permit GEM to be "minimally" internet compatible.


I've been 'hanging onto' a number of Trident cards JUST so that I can "install" the driver files from 360KB diskettes that I have. (Apparently (as I remember, 5 to 7 yr.s ago) they wouldn't "open up" with some other video card present.) (IF it wasn't the Trident, it was the West'n Dig'l PLA?. I've some of those cards too.) I'd send them to you IF needed.



Sincerely,

Thomas Clayton

P.S.: Isn't there a Liam Proven on this list? I just realized that some Linux server articles I've been reading in "the Register" the last several weeks are authored by him. The name has been "rattling around" in my head as in "Where do I know this name from?".

(I promise NOT to tell "the Register" you're a GEM 'developer'. ;-)  )



--- On Sat, 3/2/13, John Elliott <jce at seasip.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> From: John Elliott <jce at seasip.demon.co.uk>
> Subject: [GEM Development] FreeGEM drivers updated
> To: gem-dev at simpits.org
> Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013, 7:50 PM
> 
>   I've updated the FreeGEM drivers (in GEM/3, GEM/4 and
> GEM/5 versions) 
> because of a bug in SDUNI9.VGA. They can be found at the
> usual place:
> 
> <http://www.seasip.info/Gem/drivers3.html>
> <http://www.seasip.info/Gem/drivers4.html>
> <http://www.seasip.info/Gem/drivers5.html>
> 
>   What brought this about was studying the Trident 8900
> series drivers, of
> which there are five. I can't distribute them on my website
> because they
> don't have Digital Research copyright messages, but I've
> analysed their 
> behaviour here:
> 
> <http://www.seasip.info/Gem/trident.html>
> 
> -- 
> John Elliott
> 
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