From: raist@rmece02.upr.clu.edu (Ricardo Hernandez)
Subject: AGA SPECS SOLUTION!
Organization: UPR-Mayaguez--ASEL Lab
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 04:19:31 GMT

	There has been a gigantic fuzz about whether C= should release
the AGA hardware specs or not.  This is due that C= wants to ensure that
all new programs (or as much as they can) are written using the OS, so
that if there's an upgrade to the chipset, the programs will easily run.

	But also there is the group of people who want to bang the 
hardware directly, to get the most out of the machince... well, 
here's THE SOLUTION:  Use the...

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   What is the SHOP Protocol?  S]ystem H]ardware O]perating P]rocedures.

   Now, future software can run on AGA, X-AGA, Super AGA, Ultra-AGA and
the Super Duper RISC based with virtual reality copprocessors - AGA 
(SDRVR-AGA).  Here's how it works:

   Each time a program loads, and needs hardware banging (like BLAZEMONGER),
it will do some system querires.  Basic hardware registers will be
specified, like for example: HardwareScroll register, Sprite 0 DMA data
read register, etc. along with its data type (byte, word, long word).

   The SHOP Protocol will return the EXACT ADDRESS in hardware of those
registers.  Ah, yes, add also the BltCrl, BltStart, etc.  In that way,
the programs (including VR-BLAZEMONGER) will be able to access the 
hardware directly, but they will self-modify in such a way that no
matter how C= tries to make the new AGA's totally incompatible with
previous chipsets, the software (including EURO-DEMOS) will run 
without a glitch!

   Of course, a basic set of operations has to be specified, but the
SHOP PROTOCOL will get richer in hardware addresses with new releases
of AGA chipsets (like the scheduled for November 16, 2003 SDRVR-AGA, 
which can rotate, zoom, give pleasure and torture the users in real-time!).

   So all that C= has to do is define an abstract set of hardware registers,
support them with The SHOP PROTOCOL and voila!

  Happy Happy Joy Joy!

------------------------------------------------------
  Raist   // Amiga 500, 38Mhz Special MegaMidget Racer
        \X/  Avid user of AmigaVision, sending mail from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 
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--------------------------------------------------------------
  Raist   // Amiga 500, 38Mhz Special MegaMidget Racer
        \X/  Avid user of AmigaVision, sending mail from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 
---------
           "If the PC or Mac continues to be the standard,
            the SkyNet will never be built." - OUCH! were not my words!

Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer