Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: VGA/Graphics Driver
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From: Mark Gray <markgray@iago.nac.net>
Cc: Kees J Bot <kjb@cs.vu.nl>
Date: 05 Feb 2000 07:07:14 -0500
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Kees J Bot <kjb@cs.vu.nl> writes:
[snip]
> Oh, right.  You could add an ioctl() to /dev/console.  Best to use a
> struct containing further parameters to avoid dozens of new ioctls.

Good idea.

> /dev/mem can be used to access video memory on the initial tests.  This
> is probably not fast enough for real use.  The X server under Minix-vmd
> has video memory mapped into its address space using the VM system,
> something plain Minix can't do.  Maybe a segment descriptor can be set
> up for a user process somehow, as is done inside the kernel for the
> console driver.

This is the approach I have planned to take with my project (a hand
optimized, dedicated X-server for my (beloved) 386sx16.)

In doing benchmarks I found that the 286 minix performs a lot better
than the 386 minix on my 386sx16 (which I had expected all along,
having compared the performance of Win-fWG-3.11 on the box versus
Linux.)  I have rather gotten used to the 32-bit world though, and I am
rather hesitant to waste time doing it for 286-Minix -- How much of a
"hair pulling" hastle is it doing a large project for 16-bit minix in
your experience?  (I have minix installed on faster machines to do the
actual compilation.)

[posted and emailed]
