Newsgroups: comp.unix.amiga
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!csn!kessner!david
From: david@kessner.denver.co.us (David Kessner)
Subject: Re: Amiga 3000UX, X, OpenLook, Motif, Color, A2410, Etc. (somewhat long)
Message-ID: <1991Mar22.034340.8536@kessner.denver.co.us>
Reply-To: david@kessner.denver.co.us (David D. Kessner)
Organization: Kessner, Inc
References: <EACHUS.91Mar20181104@aries.mitre.org> <1991Mar21.085254.5325@kessner.denver.co.us> <11342@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 91 03:43:40 GMT

In article <11342@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> bgribble@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Bill Gribble) writes:
>About getting a high-resolution display, and the concern that doing so 
>  would put the 3000ux into high end pricing:  if you don't really care
>  about color (I know, that's not valid for everybody) the A2024 monitor
>  has been available for some time with (I think) 1280x800, 4 grey scale.
>  This is as good as your typical low end SPARC or NeXTstation.  And a 
>  quick check to the price list reveals that the A2024 is the same price 
>  as the 1950, and is (if I'm not mistaken) swappable with the 1950 in 
>  any unix bundles.

I've only seen Amiga UNIX running at 640x400 (or was it 480) on a one-bitplane
bitmap and on the U of L board.  I was under the impression that the current
version of the X software could only deal with one bit-plane image (using the
standard video).  

Now, Assuming that this is so... I'd like to rephrase the sediments of
Chris Hanson (who started this line of messages/flames, and has remained
silent, heh, heh...  That's chris@kessner.denver.co.us! :)...  "OpenLook
is ugly.  But a B&W (not even gray scale) Openlook is doubly so!"  (paraphrased)


>About the I-like-386i-unix guy's assertion that text-only virtual terminals
>  are pretty hip:  Commodore agrees wholeheartedly.  That's why you can
>  get up to [I think] 20 of them on the current release of Amiga Unix without
>  ever even thinking about X.

Hmmm.  I would not think of my comments as "text-only...[is] pritty hip."  But
there is definately a benifit there.  I personally would rather use X windows
with it's cut/paste and be able to look at several windows at the same time--
but that is my own preference.

Text-only displays are very efficent for many of todays applications, especally
on a very text oriented system like UNIX.  They take up little memory (for 
buffering) and have minimal overhead-- scrolling a 4K screen is easier than
scrolling a 800x600 screen (512K).  However, machines that have a graphic 
accelerator can make up the speed difference...

Here is a question for those C= folk:  Does the Amiga UNIX use the blitter
for ANYTHING?  I know that it is not used for X-- but what about scrolling the
"text-only" virtual terminals?  Also, can someone set me straight on exactly
what video modes X will support on the 3000UX (without the U of L board).

					- David K
-- 
David Kessner - david@kessner.denver.co.us            | do {
1135 Fairfax, Denver CO  80220  (303) 377-1801 (p.m.) |    . . .
If you cant flame MS-DOS, who can you flame?          |    } while( jones);
