Tandy 16-color mode. SDK owners interesting in writing?
Ken Udut
I used it on my mother's Tandy (I *thought* it was mine, but oh well!)
1000 TL. I had no trouble using it, as it was speedy on that 8 Mhz 286
(640K), and works beautiful with the laser printer.
My question: The SDK is out, and has been out for quite a few months
now.
Can someone with the kit write a device driver for the Tandy 1000 *L
series (RL/SL/TL/etc.) which is 640x200x16? Or even better yet (because
many many more computers support it), the 640x200x4 mode of all Tandy
1000's?
There is a package of assembly language routines written by an Mr.
Albreicht which show you how to access these modes.
If someone could make it their project, I would be EXTREMELY grateful!
Ken
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Larry Rau (Migration Software)
Unfortunately the SDK does not contain a DDK (device driver kit).
........larry
GW Steve
lar...@slapshot.pa.dec.com (Larry Rau (Migration Software)) writes:
<<<Unfortunately the SDK does not contain a DDK (device driver
kit).>>>
Very soon, third party developers will be able to write drivers for
GEOS. Here's some information about the upcoming new SDK version 2.0.
Steve Main
Geoworks
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GWRep Neal
lar...@slapshot.pa.dec.com (Larry Rau (Migration Software)) writes:
<<Unfortunately the SDK does not contain a DDK (device driver kit).>>
DDK or not, I'm not sure it would help. Geoworks determined long ago
that Tandy 16-color just didn't provide sufficient vertical
resolution... I think I'm correct in saying that windows and menus
would simply fall off the bottom of the screen. I remember that back
in 1991, Geoworks engineers discussed the issue in the Geoworks
Support Center on America Online... they had given it a go and
determined it just would not work for the environment (back in 1991,
there was much clamor for Tandy 16-color support; we never hear about
it these days).
Of course, once there's a DDK, anyone's free to try their hand at it.
;-)
Version 2.0 of the SDK can be ordered beginning Monday, May 23
(1-800-GEOS-SDK). I'm not sure whether it will include a DDK per se,
but it appears to be *much* enhanced and containing some sample
device drivers.
GWRep Neal
America Online
Ross Bryant
Does the new SDK contain a DDK or not? No specifc mention of it in your
post.
And an unrelated question.... What is Geoworks policy for support of
multimedia on the desktop? This is the third time I've asked this
question and have gotten many interesting replies but none from
Geoworks folks in the know. Well, I don't know that for sure but none
of the replies came from an internet address that started with GW.
Ross Bryant
GW Steve
(Ross Bryant) writes:
The new version of the SDK will contain sample driver source code
and support for assembly, so you can use it to write GEOS drivers.
I don't know that Geoworks has a "policy" about multimedia on
the desktop. If so, no one has ever recited it to me.
Multimedia is a buzzword that means different things
to different people. Is Geoworks working toward more system support
for things like sound, higher resolution video, animation,
hyperlinked
text, better tools for creating "content" applications, and other
features related to what most folks think of as "multimedia"?
You can count on it. When will each of those become available?
Geoworks doesn't comment on unannounced software.
Steve
Jens-Michael Gross
>
>DDK or not, I'm not sure it would help. Geoworks determined long ago
>that Tandy 16-color just didn't provide sufficient vertical
>resolution... I think I'm correct in saying that windows and menus
>would simply fall off the bottom of the screen. I remember that back
>in 1991, Geoworks engineers discussed the issue in the Geoworks
>Support Center on America Online... they had given it a go and
>determined it just would not work for the environment (back in 1991,
>there was much clamor for Tandy 16-color support; we never hear about
>it these days).
>
But you're right. Why Tandy?
SVGA is hardly enough if you want to see all at once on your screen.
I hope there will be a virtual DeskTop sometimes (just move the mouse over
the screenborder and the rest moves in)
Grossibaer
GWRep Neal
gros...@buran.fb10.tu-berlin.de (Jens-Michael Gross) writes:
<<What about the CGA Driver? Has it such a greater resolution?>>
Both Mono CGA and Tandy's 16-Color system are 640x200, so I guess my
"windows disappearing below the visible screen" theory is blown out
of the water.
I can't imagine that color would look very good at this resolution,
though.
GWRep Neal
America Online
GW Steve
(GWRep Neal) writes:
<<<I can't imagine that color would look very good at this
resolution,
though.>>>
I'm not familiar with Tandy's model numbers, but I know there are two
different "Tandy 16 color" modes that were considered by Geoworks,
and it was decided not to support either one.
The earlier models that supported 16 colors provided only 320x200
screen resolution at 16 colors. That's fewer pixels than the Zoomer.
Just plain too few pixels to work successfully in GEOS. (To get an
idea
of what this would be like, run GEOS in CGA mode and cover up half
of the width of the screen. I think you'll quickly agree that you'd
rather work in black and white than with only a couple inches of
the width of your document displayed.
The later models did provide 640x200. Surveys of Geoworks'
customers showed that there were not enough such computers in
use to justify the not-trivial work of redesigning all the screen
displays and icons to support what it seemed would soon become an
relatively obsolete video mode.
Steve
Juha2 Tapani Santala
dont have 17" monitors (yet). Only bad point is that how can you keep express
button all the time accessible? Should GW start to use right button of
the mouse or are all the programmers lefties :)?
Any idea?
Juha
PS. Just one week and then finnish version is in my computer (2.00.5 or
something like that and next year I pay more for that 2.1 :)
Logical
<<<<<Does the new SDK contain a DDK or not? No specifc mention of it
in your
post.>>>>>
No, but you can make drivers with it, I supose it is similar to the
creation of a library, but I havn't had the chance to install the SDK
2.0 yet...
<<<<<And an unrelated question.... What is Geoworks policy for
support of
multimedia on the desktop? This is the third time I've asked this
question and have gotten many interesting replies but none from
Geoworks folks in the know. Well, I don't know that for sure but none
of the replies came from an internet address that started with
GW.>>>>>
Well, speaking as a beta tester of GEOS 2.0.... 256 color drivers,
and a Specific User Interface supporting them was *almost* done, but
was too buggy to release for 2.0... wait for 2.1... Also, SchoolVIew
has 256 color drivers, and a Specific User Interface supporting them
if I remember correctly....
-L
GW Steve
(Logical) writes:
<<<Also, SchoolVIew
has 256 color drivers>>>
Wrong.
Steve
Michael Hirsch
In article <Cq53q...@utu.fi> juha...@utu.fi (Juha2 Tapani Santala) writes:
Juha> Well that idea of virtual GW Desktop would be nice for those who
Juha> dont have 17" monitors (yet). Only bad point is that how can you
Juha> keep express button all the time accessible?
I use several window managers in X-Windows (somewhat like having many
different spui to work with) and most of them are virtual window
manages. They all have the ability to make certain windows/icons
"sticky" in the sense that they stick to a location on the screen
regardless of what part of the virtual desktop is displayed.
For example, in my upper right corner I have a clock, a date icon, and
three mail boxes. My virtual desktop has 4 different screens, but if
I switch to another screen I still have those 5 windows and icons in
the upper right corner.
So the answer is that the express button (when not part of a window)
would be made sticky. Of course, the express button should always be
in the active window, too.
Here's another possibility. The virtual desktops I've seen all have a
little window that shows a map of the whole desktop. Clicking in
any part of the map switches the screen to that part of the desktop.
Obviously, this map window need to be sticky. If that window has an
express button the problem is solved.
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