Path: gmdzi!unido!mcsun!uunet!dino!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!
wuarchive!udel!mmdf
From: BARR...@owl.ecil.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Windows 3.0, SVGA Cards, and Amiga
Message-ID: <22824@snow-white.udel.EDU>
Date: 26 Jun 90 04:33:56 GMT
Sender: m...@udel.EDU
Lines: 48
Posted: Tue Jun 26 05:33:56 1990


   The newest version of Windows from MicroSoft poses a greater danger
to the Amiga than most people believe.  This is the very first release of
a product from Microsoft that can touch the Amiga in multitasking and
ease-of-use, and it comes close in many ways.
   
   Perhaps a far greater danger than MS Windows 3.0 itself is the 
combination of Windows 3.0 and an SVGA video card.  Such cards are readily
available for less than $200, and makes MS Windows 3.0 look GREAT.  
AmigaOS 2.0 cannot even begin to touch how great MS Windows looks on
a 1024x768 256-color video card. 

   Since Commodore hasn't exactly been beating the competition in the
area of high-resolution non-interlaced color video (getting the hell
beat out of them is a more applicable description), perhaps it is time
Commodore joined the competition, at least until a new chipset is 
available that can start to at least touch the competition in this 
regard.

   What I envision is a simple hardware/software combination to allow
IBM SVGA video cards to be used for Amiga programs.  A hardware card would
be plugged into a Zorro slot inline with an IBM AT slot in place of
a BridgeCard.  The hardware would be very simple, and would only have
to map the Intel I/O and Main Memory maps into the Amiga's address 
space, which could be accomplished with a couple of PALs.  From there,
software could be written to drive the SVGA video card from Amiga 
programs.

   Together with an SVGA video card, the combination could be sold for
less than the price of the HAM-E board from Black Belt, and would have
mny times the capabilities.  Although SVGA video cards are not know for
their excellent animation capabilities, the combination on an Amiga 
would produce animation many times that of the HAM-E board or frame 
buffers.

   I actually started to work on developing this thing myself, but
gave up after nearly completing the hardware because I realized that
the software was completely beyond my ability to develop.  I would
very much like for someone else to develop this thing, because it
offers a far greater solution to the Amiga's total lack of high-
resolution non-interlaced color video than the HAM-E, FireCracker, or 
anything else yet developed.  It would actually allow the Amiga to
start to seriously compete against the MAC II or PC's equipped with
such video cards.


                               -MB-