From: lindblad@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Jarkko Lindblad)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: **** A1200 Info **** (200+ lines)
Date: 7 Nov 92 23:42:44 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Natuerlich! (wallmann@backus.pu.informatik.th-darmstadt.de) wrote:
> As to the questions I am not going to answer: There was a diatribe
> portraying in length how just very useful HAM is. Dudes for the last time:
> as useful as it may be (for you) you cannot say HAM is just as useable as 
> a RAP mode. (Else you would have only HAM modes on computers.)

RAP? Isn't that somekind of noise one hears when one opens TV? :)
	I can very easily say that HAM is for some people even more
usefull than a true color mode - it's very nice for viewing pictures
and fast animation as it takes less space. And animation in this case
means something that is similar to what one can see from TV.

> So when comparing screenmodes to establish some 'bogus' superiority of the 
> AA chipset, using HAM colors is bullshit. A better metric is Mbytes/s on 
> the graphic hardware. How many RAM bytes are converted by the graphics 

AGA and Falcon have approximately the same maximum bandwidth on the
graphics bus - too bad that's the only one on Falcon...
	Anyhow, it's quite stupid to compare the graphics modes by
using MB/s (that is megabytes, not Marc Barretts (fortunately) per
second) as the megabytes are often wasted in different ways. Also one
has to remember that an Amiga system with any fast ram will not slow
down nearly as much as Falcon will when one increases the resolution
or colors.

> >>	Har, you aren't doing fast graphics in HAM you are doing stuff
> >>	on top of, or under HAM.
> >
> >HAM8 is just as fast as an 8-bit hires mode.  The processor isn't
> >doing the work for this, you know, the graphics chips are.

> Take at least a minor stab at comprehending, what I or the previous poster
> (Hi James) are trying to say.

I fortunately read that and knew what you meant - however, it's a bit
funny to see you praising Falcon because it does not have sprites (of
width of upto 64 and height of n where n is a very large number).
Anyhow, HAM itself has it's limitations and advantages, as well as
the "true color" modes do. This is how ever something you fail to see.

> >Wrong on both counts, fortunately.  The only thing HAM costs is the
> >cost of a six-bitplane display, the only thing HAM8 costs is the cost
> >of the 8-bit display.  And our beloved blitter will work just fine.
> 
> It's just not of any use. Judging from your post you have a very naive

You don't understand HAM and it's uses - it is not a general purpouse
screen mode and is not meant to be, it is however great mode for
example for playing animation from slow CD-ROMs and viewing pictures
or for viewing the results of a ray-tracer - if you think that it's
clumsy to use multiple screens, you have not used Amiga (at least not
under operating system 2.0 or 3.0).

> Assume you want to 'blit' a little shape from HAM to HAM. Can you just 
> use a memory copy with the blitter? No because the color information of
> the HAM pixels are only valid at this position. Hence you must, convert

Not necessarily - if the leftmost edge of the area to be blitted is
made using the 64 colors available in color registers then one can do
the blit without worries.

> the HAM pixels into color values, and convert them back into HAM pixels
> at the destination.

The problem is not HAM, it's you - of course we admit that HAM is not
well suited for general purpouse use, but you still want to bash it.
Wy don't you for a while try to find a good reason why it is worse
than Falcons true color modes when for example viewing a animation
from CD or something similar?

> As to the point, "it's clear that you haven't used an Amiga before".
> Not TRUE!! I played on an Amiga with friends (KICK-OFF) for an estimated
> 48 hours total. (har)

Ah, that explains it all...:)

-- 
Jarkko Lindblad         | Those people who tell you not to
lindblad@cc.helsinki.fi |   take chances
------------------------| they are all missing on what life is about
This space if for sale  |                        - Metallica