sjo@cci632.UUCP (Steve Owens) (08/28/90)
The title says most of it. Is HERCULES a hi-res graphics output for monochrome? What does it do (or not do) that the others can't (can?) Thanks for the help! SJO
ergo@netcom.UUCP (Isaac Rabinovitch) (08/28/90)
In <39522@cci632.UUCP> sjo@cci632.UUCP (Steve Owens) writes: > The title says most of it. Is HERCULES a hi-res graphics output >for monochrome? What does it do (or not do) that the others can't (can?) > Thanks for the help! I might have some of the historical details wrong, so please flame gently. Hercules graphics (I mean the kind of graphics invented by Hercules Inc., not graphics hardware that happens to be made by them) allows you to get good-resolution monochrome graphics cheaply. I seem to recall that when it first came out, nobody else (including IBM!) had a graphics adapter for the PC. The problem with Hercules products is that they never quite seemed to understand software or the practical problems of their users. The last time I bought a "real" Hercules board, it came with configuration and font-editing software that was so buggy as to be useless. And, except for their InColor card, they made no concession to IBM-compatible video as a defacto standard (I guess they felt that since they were there first...) It's not just that they didn't emulate CGA graphics, they didn't even emulate basic text-mode functions. As a result, many programs written in IBM/GW Basic or other early MS-DOS languages lock up your system when run with a Hercules adapter. This can be fixed with a TSR, but it slows down your system, causes weird problems.... And the only libraries for writing Hercules software were those programmers provided for themselves. Since a minor mistake in such libraries could destroy your monitor, obviously people weren't anxious to experiment. You *do* need Hercules compatibility, since there's still a lot of Hercules software out there. But the worst way to get it is with a Hercules card or a simple clone of a Hercules card. If I could afford to just discard my Hercules RAMFont card and TTL monitor monitor (too bad RamFont sofware is almost nonexistant), I'd get a VGA card with Hercules emulation. It's not that all us people who bought Hercules 3 to 5 years ago were stupid. It's just that Hercules was the only decent video we could afford. CGA video was no good in text mode, and EGA was 3 or 4 times as much. Now you can get a VGA adapter and a monochrome monitor for it for about $200, which is why even Hercules Inc. concentrates on VGA hardware these days. -- ergo@netcom.uucp Isaac Rabinovitch atina!pyramid!apple!netcom!ergo Silicon Valley, CA uunet!mimsy!ames!claris!netcom!ergo Disclaimer: I am what I am, and that's all what I am!
noren@dinl.uucp (Charles Noren) (08/28/90)
In article <12703@netcom.UUCP> ergo@netcom.uucp writes: >In <39522@cci632.UUCP> sjo@cci632.UUCP (Steve Owens) writes: >And the only libraries for writing Hercules software were those >programmers provided for themselves. Since a minor mistake in such >libraries could destroy your monitor, obviously people weren't >anxious to experiment. This reminds me of the time I was writing Hercules driver software for my clone Hercules card, when Turbo C didn't yet have graphics support. The documentation was not clear at one point, I could code it one way or another. I wrote the function up and sat for half an hour wondering if I should run it, knowing the dangers of being wrong. I finally decided to go for it. The screen went blank with a click, followed by a loud high-pitched squeal with a bright dot in the center of the screen, which lasted for about 2-3 seconds, followed by a pop and a blank screen. I turned the computer and monitor off, and turned it back on and I got some wierd scan lines on my monitor. Last rites for my monitor were held at the local T.V. repair shop. I bought a new monitor, brought it home and hooked it to my computer. I changed my function ...and waited until the next day to try it. I entered my test program, hit return, the screen went blank with a click ...and my little graphics drawing came up. I was lucky that day. -- Chuck Noren NET: dinl!noren@ncar.ucar.edu US-MAIL: Martin Marietta I&CS, MS XL8058, P.O. Box 1260, Denver, CO 80201-1260 Phone: (303) 971-7930