[comp.sys.amiga] Janus and EGA

dennya@pnet02.cts.com (Denny Atkin) (05/04/89)

Here's a question for the programmer types here (a few programmer types
frequent this newsgroup, don't they? :^).  
 
Why does the Janus software only emulate a CGA card?  If I'm correct, the
resolution of EGA is 640x350, with 16 out of 64 colors onscreen.  This is
well within the realm of reality on a standard Amiga.
  
I know the EGA hardware is more complicated and emulation would be even
slower than CGA, but I would imagine that that would be less of an issue on
a 68020/30 based Amiga (if you can afford an AT Bridge, you can probably
afford an A2620!).  The Janus software could support both resolutions.
 
So why no EGA on the Amiga?  I know you can plug in an EGA card, but that
would require a second monitor, and use up a valuable slot.  CATS?  Dan
Schein?  Anyone know?
+-----------------------------------------------------+---------------------+
| Denny Atkin, Writer at Large         //Amiga        |"It's all the        |
| PeopleLink: DENNY                  \X/ 1000!        | truth--except the   |
| UUCP:{ames!elroy, <backbone>}!gryphon!pnet02!dennya | bits that are lies."|
| INET:dennya@pnet02.cts.com                          |   -- Douglas Adams  |
+-----------------------------------------------------+---------------------+

cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (05/05/89)

In article <15434@gryphon.COM> (Denny Atkin) writes:
>So why no EGA on the Amiga?  I know you can plug in an EGA card, but that
>would require a second monitor, and use up a valuable slot.  CATS?  Dan
>Schein?  Anyone know?

EGA is a complicated, overly cryptic beast. Read a programming manual for
it sometime. (Norton's Programmers Guide to the PC is a good start) At
Sun we have a Virtual PC emulator that runs on the new Sparcstation 1
(Ever wonder what the Ideal Amiga would be ? Check out a Sparcstation GX))
Anyway, while it was being developed we said, "Gee, this thing has lots
o MIPS and plenty of resolution, why don't we set it up to emulate EGA?"
and went through the whole exercise. Not fun at all I can assure you. 

--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis   BIX: cmcmanis  ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
"A most excellent barbarian ... Genghis Kahn!"