From: gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: AGA hidden registers - C= is giving me an attitude
Date: 2 Oct 1992 08:53:33 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4

kontos@clipper.ingr.com (Thorne Kontos) writes:
: LET ME MAKE A DIRECT QUOTE FROM (yes, you guessed it)

:                 THE AMIGA HARDWARE REFERENCE MANUAL (3rd. edition)

: From the preface:

From my brain:

:         "This book is intended for the following audiences:

:             Assembly language programmers who need a more direct
:             way of interacting with the Amiga than the routines
:             provided in the system software.

Assembly language programmers can DO that.  Just not with the graphics
system, any more.  Oh well.  They're stuck with the graphics routines
in graphics.library, and there's nothing wrong with that.

:             Designers who want to interface new peripherals to the 
:             Amiga.                            

And this has NOTHING to do with graphics.  What are you going to
interface that you need to bang graphics registers?

:             Anyone who wants to know how the Amiga hardware works.
:           Here is a brief..."

Fine.  They're STILL going to give you hardware.  But you can't bang
graphics any more.  And?

: I see things clearly, orphan all systems before the A4000.

Have they? NO.  THE 3.0 GRAPHICS SYSTEM WORKS PERFECTLY FINE IN OLDER
CHIPSETS.  How is that orphaning?  Under 3.0, you'll be able to run
the software.  Just not with the same colors.

What the hell are you expecting them to do?

: Then screw over anyone who doesn't want to do things C='s
: new way. I hope some happy hardware hacker posts the AGA hidden

And here's the other thing.  You just don't seem to get it:  If they
EVER want to get device independent graphics into the system, they've
GOT to do it.  Otherwise, they're screwing the user base.  You'll be
stuck forever using chipsets built into the machine for drop-in
compatibility, and you'll never be able to toss in a cheapo OR an
expensive graphics card and expect it to work.

It's a GOOD thing.  And since they've increased the speed of 3.0's
graphics.library, intuition.library (as a result) and layers.library
(through rewrites), it's a Damn Good thing.

: registers to every net he can find. This would definitely serve
: Commodore a bit of their own medicine...
: 
: PUBLISH THE SPECS/REGISTERS OF THE AGA CHIPSET

How can you justify that, I'm curious?  Why does it matter that
registers for AGA get published?  Hitting hardware has always been
discouraged, it should be done on a "need-to" basis.  Now they're
telling you that no matter what you need to do, there's nothing that
justifies a "need-to" basis.  And it's possible they'll give it to
developers who have special needs or circumstances, but they're not
going to pass them out to every tom dick or harry who'll end up
screwing over DIG for future generations of operating systems.

Greg

--
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy