Baslinux mailing list

[Sindi Keesan <keesan AT iamjlamb.com>]

In both BL3 and BL2 (Xvesa from delilinux) with my S3Trio 64V video card, 
on two computers, bypassing MS-DOS 6.22 and DR-DOS 7.03 with F5 (for 
DR-DOS this is not necessary to use Xvesa), when I tried to run Xvesa in 
8-bit mode (not one of the ones on the menu) it displays in blue, red and 
green on black in icewm (red stripe where blue is expected) and in more 
than 4 colors in photos but mapped badly.

On a third computer with some other video chip (which is a 1999 one that
won't do SVGA lib in more than plain VGA) it looks okay in '8-bit' color.

S3 Xvesa -listmodes lists 1, 4, 8, 15, 16, and 24 bit colors.
The other card lists only 16 and 24 bit 'truecolor'.

On the S3, 1-bit works, 2-bit displays the same as 1-bit (mono BW),
4-bit-6 bit display as 4-bit, 7-11 bit all display in only RGB, 12-bit is 
okay.

It looks to me like Xvesa is not working properly with 8-bit and that 7,
9, 10, and 11-bit are actually displaying as 8-bit, and 12-bit as 15-bit
if available, otherwise as 16-bit.  8-bit is using more colors than 4-bit
but they don't seem to be mapped properly.

On the non-S3 computer there is no 8-bit mode to go wrong and when I ask 
for it I may be getting 16-bit.  This computer also won't work with 
SVGAlib (Links2) in 8-bit mode (or anything higher than plain VGA).

The S3 does not do 2-bit color and when I ask for it I get 1-bit.

The same amount of RAM is used by Xvesa for 12, 13, 14, or 15 bit (2332)   
3, 4, 5, or 6-bit use 1984.  7, 8, 9 and 10-bit use 2164; 16-bit 
2340.

So rather than specifying 800x600 12 bit color, the Xsetup menu could just
as well specify 15-bit color (same amount of RAM used as '12-bit',
probably same mode used, which is 15 bit if available and 16-bit if not).


(The 8-bit problem may be only with S3 - I will check other cards which 
support 8-bit VESA such as Tseng and Trident).

        XVESA RAM used (BL2)
1       1776
2> 1

3>4     1984        Opera 7 won't use this mode
4
5>4
6>4

7>8    2164         NOT WORKING RIGHT (RGB - 2bit?)
8
9>8
10>8
11>8

12>15  2332
13>15
14>15
15 

16     2340
(did not test 17-23)
24     2988