[comp.windows.ms] Which windowing system to use

mike@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mike Smithwick) (05/25/89)

[]
A friend is wanting to port an Amiga program over to the PeeCee. We're
trying to decide what would be the best windowing system to write it under.

His professional experiance is using MS-Windows on a 386 box, so it would
make the most sense to take advantage of that.  However, the size of the
program and speed overhead requirments might cause some problems.

My questions are -

 1) How big is the runtime version of MS-Windows vs. the kernal, and
    will that take less computational overhead than the full program?
    (we want the application to run on a 286/CGA box as the minimum
     configuration)

 2) We need a minimum of 16 colors, I understand that MSW takes 8 colors
    for itself, permitting only 8 for the programmer (is this the case
    for EGA/VGA?)

 3) How do alternate windowing systems compare? Has anyone had experience
    with MetaWindows or Matrix layout?

Thanks. . .

          *** mike (still looking for a publisher) smithwick ***
Infinity Software, 1986-1989, RIP, (ha! ha! ha! haaaa!)

[disclaimer : nope, I don't work for NASA, I take full blame for my ideas]

bturner@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Bill Turner) (05/27/89)

> 1) How big is the runtime version of MS-Windows vs. the kernal, and
>    will that take less computational overhead than the full program?
>    (we want the application to run on a 286/CGA box as the minimum
>     configuration)

Well, Windows does some things to implement pseudo-virtual-memory.  That is,
code segments can be discarded and reloaded, but data must be in memory.
Usually, when running Windows, you'll have about 350K of free memory space.
As memory gets tighter, performance gets worse.  (N.B.  This does not
take into account the fact that Windows/286 can use LIM 4.0 memory to its
advantage somewhat).

> 2) We need a minimum of 16 colors, I understand that MSW takes 8 colors
>    for itself, permitting only 8 for the programmer (is this the case
>    for EGA/VGA?)

Hmmm, this seams to contradict the minimum system as a CGA display...  :-)
With an EGA, the standard Windows display driver only gives you 8 colors, but
there are other drivers (one that comes to mind is from a company called
hDC [honest!] and allows the full 16-color EGA palette).  There are VGA
drivers that use the full VGA color set as well (but since I don't have a 
VGA, I don't know much about these...)

--Bill Turner (bturner@hp-pcd.hp.com)
HP Corvallis Information Systems

lpj@hpctdlu.HP.COM (Laura Johnson) (05/27/89)

You can use 16 colors in MS Windows by remapping the EGA palette
registers (MS C gives you nice calls to do this).  However, if you
leave windows (say to run a DOS app) you will have to remap the palettes
again when you come back.

It's clear that you weren't "supposed" to take advantage of 16 colors,
but it can be done.