nanogui: Re: nanoGui development
Subject:
nanogui development
From:
Greg Haerr ####@####.####
Date:
5 May 1999 18:36:24 -0000
Message-Id: <01BE96F4.1B8721A0.greg@censoft.com>
Following getting the nanogui project working, I propose and am working on the
following developments:
o complete separation of screen driver interface from the nanogui server proper.
o integration with separately produced bogl and other graphics libraries
o operation standalone and on non-linux systems
This is complicated, but here's the idea. Currently the nanogui project uses a custom
modifed version of the bogl graphics libraries developed initially by Ben Pfaffer over at
debian. These libraries only work with 8 bit color framebuffers, and require v2.2 linux.
In addition nanogui clipping support is contained in the graphics libraries. Since nanogui
v0.1, Ben and others have come out with quite a few more versions of bogl, ones that support
truecolor, pseudocolor, etc. These libraries work on linux systems setup for truecolor
display consoles. The console and framebuffer now have to be reset to 8 bit mode for nanogui
to run.
I propose that nanogui be rewritten to allow unmodified bogl libraries from debian to be
linked in w/o modification. This will allow nanogui to run on many more systems, as
well as someone volunteering a svgalib driver that will allow nanogui to run on linux 2.0,
and ELKS, if someone writes a int 10h realmode driver.
This requires that an explict screen driver interface be designed, and the clipping code,
along with a host of other line-segment reordering code stuff be moved up into the
nanogui kernel. In addition, the v0.2 kernel still doesn't support mouse cursor
clipping during graphics draw code. This needs a redesign, since it's unlikely
to be handled by the low level graphics drivers, without a lot of work for each one.
I have completed all this work late last night, and should have this ready shortly. (I'm
still asking for design input though). This will become v0.3.
In v0.4, I should have completed the driver interfaces for the keyboard and mouse
as well, which would allow nanogui to run *totally* standalone on anything that
supports a C compiler. (yes, this is my real inspiration for the project, we don't need
another X server, we need small projects that can run standalone and on top of existing
operating systems without too much work)
Greg
