SQ79@liverpool.ac.UK (Mark Powell) (09/22/89)
The "slight" speed increase when using a blittler is not a problem with the
blittler itself, but with line A. From looking at the file BLITTER.DOC that I
got sometime ago from this newsgroup, it appears that the blitters main
advantage is that it can run con-currently (with the HOG bit clear) with the
68000. i.e. the blitter can go and blitter some memory while the 68000 can do
some processing, albiet slower than usual.
Is this assumption correct? Could
a well (read "illegally" if you work for Atari corp.) written assembly lang.
routine access the blitter directly and go off and do something else while
the blitter gets on with it's business? I know that both the blitter and the
68000 will run slower than usual, con-currently, but would this provide the
68000 with greater free time? If so then someone could write programs to take
advantage of this feature.
I'd have tested all of this theory myself, long ago, but blitters are as
substantial as the ether, in "good ol'" blimey.
Mark Powell
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