Article View: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Article #5256Re: accessing video RAM: how advisable is it?
From: David Kessner
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1991 22:28
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1991 22:28
32 lines
2093 bytes
2093 bytes
In article <9103162053.AA02053@samadams.Princeton.EDU> tr@SAMADAMS.PRINCETON.EDU (Tom Reingold) writes:
>Are PC's running DOS more compatible with IBM video cards these days
>than they were when MS-DOS came out? Years ago, you were asking for
>trouble if you wrote directly to video RAM because many cards had their
>display buffers at various addresses. Is this no longer true? I'd
>like to know because it would be nice if the product I am developing
>didn't need to care.
>
>Also, are the two addresses still the only ones to worry about? There
>is one for monochrome and one for color, including CGA, EGA and VGA.
>--
> Tom Reingold
> tr@samadams.princeton.edu OR ...!princeton!samadams!tr
These days it is expected that you will write directly to video RAM. It is
considered a fact of life. You might have compatability problems with some
really strange computers (like those not-quite compatables from 1983 or so),
but I wouldent worry about these-- no-one else does!
Yes, there are only two addresses of TEXT VIDEO RAM to worry about.
I have written a program that is currently in use on over 100 machines-- from
the original PC to 386's. It figures out which address to use, then writes
directly to it. Out of those 100+ machines, I have never ran into
compatability problems (even on a few Tandys :).
Hope that helps...
--
David Kessner - david@kessner.denver.co.us | do {
1135 Fairfax, Denver CO 80220 (303) 377-1801 (p.m.) | . . .
If you cant flame MS-DOS, who can you flame? | } while( jones);
Technical Details
Message-ID:
<1991Mar16.222835.2045@kessner.denver.co.us>Path:
arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!csn!kessner!davidReferences:
<9103162053.AA02053@samadams.Princeton.EDU>Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!csn!kessner!david From: david@kessner.denver.co.us (David Kessner) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer Subject: Re: accessing video RAM: how advisable is it? Message-ID: <1991Mar16.222835.2045@kessner.denver.co.us> Date: 16 Mar 91 22:28:35 GMT References: <9103162053.AA02053@samadams.Princeton.EDU> Reply-To: david@kessner.denver.co.us (David D. Kessner) Organization: Kessner, Inc Lines: 32