--0H629O+sVkh21xTi
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

* Rob Healey <rhealey@norstar.com> on Wed, Jan 09, 2002:

>=20
> 	The dreamcast doesn't have enough memory to use a memory pig like X
> 	as the graphics system, 16M and X just don't get along well...
>=20

As much as I hate X, I have to clear things up: X does run on the
Dreamcast, and it's "usable" (doesn't fill all of available RAM, you can
run apps on it).

> 	The best course would be to ditch X and use something like gtk(+)
> 	as the programming API with some minimal graphics wedge underneath.
>=20

GTK+/fb?  Is that stable yet?  Does it work for *BSD systems?

> 	Other places for research would be audio, I haven't seen any
> 	references to diddling with the audio system on a Dreamcast. This
> 	would probably require some reverse engineering of the MP3 package
> 	for the Dreamcast as I doubt Sega would release the docs for the
> 	hardware even though they've ditched it!
>=20

There is an audio driver in LinuxDC CVS.  You can find various scattered
sources of the AICA audio system around the web, KOS was used as a template
for developing the LinuxDC driver.

>=20
> 	4: Beg/borrow/aquire detail hardware docs from Sega or elsewhere so
> 	   we don't have to waste time reverse engineering stuff; a strong
> 	   advocate on the inside is usually needed for this.
>=20

There has always been enough hardware info (reverse-engineered or
otherwise) available to develop core drivers: input (maple), graphics, and
sound.  Sega was never really needed once the scene really picked up.

If there is device support that everyone screams for, it gets
reversed/cracked in a reasonable time frame, a prime example is the HIT-0300
ethernet adapter (the obscure Japanese-only model), it now has reference
source on the web.

Your problem isn't lack of specs, it's lack of motiviation to write
drivers.

M. R.

--0H629O+sVkh21xTi
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature
Content-Disposition: inline

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQE8PLUjaK6pP/GNw0URAnBDAKCTXhHquRPNyF9euAY5FKjS1fLgmQCgx2O1
pwlEeSK8OP+viKnGsSm27ug=
=9lCP
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--0H629O+sVkh21xTi--