Baslinux mailing list

[Sindi Keesan <keesan AT iamjlamb.com>]

On Fri, 26 Mar 2004, Sindi Keesan wrote:

> www.iamjlamb.com/~keesan/bmv.tar.gz
> 
> Another fine package from the Czech Republic, 1995, for computers that 
> can't do X because of video or memory or speed limitations.
> 

I tested this program on a 4-page scanned image that I converted with 
pdf2ps and pdftops (both complain but both work).

bmv does 256 colors but not more, xpdf does more but not 8-bit
So I tested at 1024x768 16 colors.

xpdf - Xvesa -screen 1024x768x4 &rxvt -e xpdf filename.pdf
bmv -v12 filename.ps  (or maybe it was another mode number -vN)

xpdf - first page loaded in 12 sec, subsequent pages in 6 seconds, 
enlarging to any size took 6 seconds

bvm - first page loaded in 3 sec, same for subsequent pages, enlarging 
took as long as it took the video card to redraw the screen

SVGAlib supports older cards that are not VESA compatible at all, as 
wellas most new ones.  It did not do well on our newest video chip (which 
worked only in plain vga mode).  It goes to 1280 with our S3 (16 color).

Xvesa supports only the newer cards and for some of them won't do more 
than 800 resolution (Tseng).  It goes to 1600 with our S3.  It does more 
colors but 256 is plenty for viewing pdf files (mine are all mono).

This is a case where the older software (from 1995) is faster, just like 
the older slackware (especially after Steve works on it) is faster even on 
a newer computer.  Xpdf was slow even on a 500 MHz computer.  GS 
displaying in x11 mode was faster.
BMV also uses the entire screen rather than a window of it.