Re: SDL vs GGI

[Steve Baker <sjbaker1@airmail.net>]

Pierre Phaneuf wrote:
> 
> Brett_A._Letner@NOTES.UP.COM wrote:
> 
> > >> With a matrox card you will have hardware acceleration, I have heard
> > >> how games running with 500fps and more with matroxfb. Much much more
> > >> than you will ever get with X at the moment.
> > Is this true?  Do you have any pointers or references?
> > I have a matrox G200 and would love to test this out.
> 
> Hey, I got over 300 fps in Quadra with Xlib, just through clever
> programming. No shared memory.

This is the entire point though.  You can't possibly get any benefit
from a game that runs faster than your video rate - 76Hz at most.

Who cares if you get 500Hz with one scheme, 200Hz with another
and only 100Hz with X - it's of monumental unimportance.

Hence, the issue of speed (for 2D at least) is a done deal. We have
*PLENTY* of performance.  So, let's use the spare capacity to make
the system more convenient.  You really can't claim that console
mode (even with multiple virtual consoles) is more convenient than
X.

The issue with 3D games is quite different. Even with the very
best 3D card - and the hottest CPU, there isn't enough performance.
However, the only way to drive those cards is via hardware
accelleration - and that currently means OpenGL - which was *MADE*
for X-windows.

-- 
Steve Baker                  http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
sjbaker1@airmail.net (home)  http://www.woodsoup.org/~sbaker
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