Re: [AD] Summary : DirectX Windowed Mode

[Shawn Hargreaves <shawn@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Dominique Biesmans <d_biesmans@xxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> Doesn't it do a selective blit, based on which parts of the screen have
> changed? I guess not. But indeed it seems more important to you to get 
> the code done yourself quickly instead of coming to an agreement with 
> others concerned.

Hey, relax! Having code isn't a final statement that everything has to be 
exactly this way from now on: it's just another stage in the debate about 
how things should be done. Program sources are often the best way to 
describe complex designs, and they add lots of valuable information to the 
debate as we can see how well this works in practice with a range 
different programs, rather than just theorizing about it.

Isaac's code is just a first draft, so if you don't like some things about 
it, please say what they are, or make some more patches yourself to 
improve the situation. Or if you don't like anything at all about how he's 
done it, feel free to make a completely different version yourself: if 
yours is better, I'll use that instead. But this looks like a great start 
to me, so I don't understand why you are upset about it. It seems crazy to 
be arguing over who gets to write this particular bit of code, when there 
are plenty of other things just waiting to be done!

Open source development doesn't require everything to be exactly right on 
the first attempt (and of course, they never are). Isaac has done a large 
part of what is needed, but his post listed several areas that he's still 
working on, and you brought up a few more yourself (like the selective 
updating of only dirty screen areas). So why not get stuck in and help to 
fill in these missing parts?

> Yes, 8 bit mode in a window is very nasty to get right. The first 10 & 
> last 10 colors of the palette are locked as system colors. (You can get 
> around that in Win95/98, but not in NT I think). I have an idea about a 
> solution for that, but I don't feel much like putting energy in 
> discussing solutions anymore.

It would be a shame if you gave up on developing this just because things 
are moving quickly, because it is when they move quickly that more 
developers are the most useful!

Personally I have no idea how paletted modes could work, and would tend 
not to bother with them just because they are so awkward to do in Windows, 
but if you know how it can be done, please fire away with your suggestions.


--
Shawn Hargreaves - shawn@xxxxxxxxxx - http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/
"A binary is barely software: it's more like hardware on a floppy disk."