3 May
2009
3 May
'09
11:16 a.m.
dodo. Mostly because of graphics accelerator cards.
But text modes do
tend to be a lot faster.
I was told that one of the design specifications of the PERQ (which had a
bit-mapped display, no hardware text mode at all) was that it shold be as
fast at displaying text as a typical machine of the time. A 'typical
machine' used a text termianl with a 9600 buad link, so under 1000
characters a second. Given a 80*24 screen, that meant a full screen
update took a couple of seconds.
I can't remember the exact specification of the final PERQ, but I seem to
remember it could do 10 complete screen updates (and it's a larger screen
than 80*24 text) in a second.
Of course some other machines (HP9000/200s spring to mind) have separate
full-screen hardware text and graphics display systems that can be displayed
together (if you so wish).
though - they give a lot more feedback than trackpads.
The whole
lifting your hand off the keyboard to move the mouse (or trackball) and
then back to type thing is annoying.
If I have to use a mouse, I'd like one with a chording keyboard built in :-)
-tony