egapmh@ecsvax.UUCP (Paul M. Hudy) (02/27/85)
Does anyone have any hands-on experience with the EVEREX GRAPHICS EDGE card and/or PARADISE MODULAR GRAPHICS card?? A recent review in PC MAGAZINE was particularly high on the EVEREX card. I was also wondering about compatiblity with WORDSTAR (old), dBASE II or III, FRAMEWORK, 1-2-3 and SYMPHONY. Also, how about compatibility with LATTICE C and/or TURBO PASCAL graphics routines? Is the EVEREX really IBM/HERCULES monochrome compatible *and* IBM/PLATRONICS color compatible?? Thanks in advance, Paul M. Hudy <egapmh@ecsvax>
dgary@ecsvax.UUCP (D Gary Grady) (02/28/85)
<> We at Duke have had some experience with the Paradise card. This graphics card drives the IBM Monochrome Display with text at roughly the same resolution as the IBM Monochrome Display Adapter, but shows graphics at the lower resolution of the color/graphics display. Screen memory is at B8000 hex, the same as IBM's color graphics location. The card is therefore compatible with normal graphics software, not with things intended for the higher-resolution Hercules card. Not having technical documentation, I can only guess that the dual display modes are accomplished by playing games with the vertical sync signal. That theory is consistent with the behavior we have seen: some monochrome displays have a real problem displaying a steady graphics image. Some even emit hissing sounds in graphics mode. Whether this can cause long-term damage to the monitor is something I don't know. Perhaps someone more technically competent could offer a suggestion. In any event, reactions to the card have varied. Some users have been and remain enthusiastic, having no difficulties whatsoever. Others have not been as happy, and one in particular went so far as to rip the card from his machine and throw it into the trashcan in the presence of one of the Computation Center's service personnel. I think the jury is still out on the Paradise card, but I wanted to let your know our experiences. Incidentally, we have heard no complaints (to my knowledge) on the Hercules or AST Monograph cards. However, those cards adhere to the Hercules graphics "standard" instead of IBM's, and less software is available for them. (Of course, Lotus 1-2-3, Ashton-Tate Framework, and many other software packages DO work.) Hope this is of some help. -- D Gary Grady Duke U Comp Center, Durham, NC 27706 (919) 684-3695 USENET: {seismo,decvax,ihnp4,akgua,etc.}!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary
jimla@tekig.UUCP (James G. Larsen) (03/03/85)
> Does anyone have any hands-on experience with the EVEREX GRAPHICS > EDGE card and/or PARADISE MODULAR GRAPHICS card?? A recent review in > PC MAGAZINE was particularly high on the EVEREX card. I was also > wondering about compatiblity with WORDSTAR (old), dBASE II or III, > FRAMEWORK, 1-2-3 and SYMPHONY. Also, how about compatibility with > LATTICE C and/or TURBO PASCAL graphics routines? > Is the EVEREX really IBM/HERCULES monochrome compatible *and* > IBM/PLATRONICS color compatible?? We are using the Everex Graphics Edge in severa PCs at work. The article in PC Magazine was accurate and complete. I have used the card with Framework in Hercules mode with excellent results. It also displays grey scale on a composite monochrome monitor when driven with IBM color software. It is compatible with Plantronics but I haven't tested that mode. The only problem I have observed is that you must make a tradeoff between flicker and scrolling speed using jumper options. I would like to have faster memory access so I could get fast scrolling with no flicker. For the money, though it is an attractive solution to the problem of multiple graphics protocols. Jim Larsen