Messages in this thread | | | Date | 8 Feb 1999 09:16:37 +0100 | From | "Henning P. Schmiedehausen" <> | Subject | Re: Linux Graphics Architecture (format fixed) |
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bennyb@ntplx.net (Ben Bridgwater) writes:
> What about a simple example where you set write a bit plane mask > into a graphics register, then write some data to the framebuffer? > You can't have two programs doing that at the same time!
So use locking. Or ressource allocation. If the user decides to do a stupid thing which is not possible with the hardware, it's his own fault.
> This could easily occur if an X client were directly manipulating > the framebuffer at the same time the X server was doing the same, or > if you switch away from X (with the server still running...) and try > to play a graphics game on the framebuffer console while your kernel > compiles!
>Ben
>Please CC: bennyb@ntplx.net
This is the same "singing, dancing, we must do everything at the same time" discussion that we had with the Amiga about 100 years ago [1]. Look where it led us. [5]
The acceleration engine on a gfx board is a ressource. Some ressources you can share between processes, then you can use it from more than one process at a time. Some others you can't so you can either run a high-speed accelerated game on an fb-console or run a high-speed accelerated 3d application under X. If your device supports seamless state-saving and restoring, fine. If it doesn't, you must use exclusive access. But I'm not interested in slowing down my high-end state of the stuff board just because there are some twenty years old graphics boards on no longer used architectures which may _not_ support a feature which my board does. [3]
I'm fscking tired of these "we must build one generic solution to end all other solutions". Neither X nor anything else is the silver bullet in every possible scenario. Yes, there _will_ be people who want to run twenty Quake sessions [2] on twenty virtual consoles at the same time. Why must we satisfy the needs of _these_ people? We must satisfy the needs of _most_ people. And they either work _or_ play. No need to build a solution which puts a penalty on those.
Kind regards Henning
[1] those "we can format two floppies at the same time, look, we're better than crappy Windows" discussion, if anyone around here is old enough to remember.
[2] or whatever the current famous state of the art 3d kill-some-monsters shooter is.
[3] Along the road lies DirectX [4]
[4] Or Direct3D. Or ActiveX. Or whatever the current MS marketing decided to call their game API.
[5] Thank godness.
-- Dipl.-Inf. (Univ.) Henning P. Schmiedehausen -- hps@tanstaafl.de TANSTAAFL! Consulting - Unix, Internet, Security
Hutweide 15 Fon.: 09131 / 50654-0 "There ain't no such D-91054 Buckenhof Fax.: 09131 / 50654-20 thing as a free Linux"
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