2 Mar
1999
2 Mar
'99
12:15 p.m.
If you have a decent device to insert arbitrary-sized
bitmaps at
arbitrary postions (Who said 'PERQ rasterop machine'?) then you don't
really need hardware support for text.
True. Most new machines use that strategy. Occasionally it backfires. I
love Sun's console font but old Suns are slow (especially when inverting the
whole screen) and they have no frills.
I am in two minds about text (only) modes. On the one
hand, I rarely use
graphics anyway, so a good text display is all I need (heck, I am using a
clone Hercules card at the moment). On the other hand, the PERQ got it
right IMHO - a bitmapped display that was as fast as a normal serial
terminal at displaying text.
I am not sure the PC did get it right. The CGA was something of a cludge,
what with a hardware text mode _and_ ROM support for displaying text in
the bitmapped modes.
I should have said I have an end in mind (i.e., good-looking text display,
in several sizes and styles at once, with few GUI extras -- basically a
refined 80's-style intelligent terminal).
I mentioned text modes because they are a convenient means to that end (the
API is simple and memory management is a no-brainer). Also I like the
default text-mode font itself. But the incompatibility of various cards
(AFAIK) and the stubborn stupidity of Windows NT make text modes worthless.
Graphics modes are great but I haven't found a set of fonts that are big,
good-looking, normal/bold/italic/underline, and all the same size. This
applies to Windows NT and X. The exception is Courier which I think is
ugly.
Are they rare, or something? In the UK, ones with
ASICs are _very_
common, clones of the original Hercules card are pretty easy to find
(including ones with extra fancy features), and even genuine ones do turn up.
No, I've just never found one or set it up. Having a Mac is a big
disadvantage too.
Does your clone card have color? What about its text modes?
-- Derek