Subject: Any plans for wscons/rcons graphics library?
To: None <tech-kern@netbsd.org>
From: Andrew Gillham <gillham@vaultron.com>
List: tech-kern
Date: 11/16/2000 14:46:53
Hello,

I was wondering if anyone is thinking about adding lowlevel graphics
routines
to wscons/rcons and perhaps a userland library?

I've been looking at MicroWindows and it says the following:
 The Microwindows graphics engine is capable of running on any system
that supports
 readpixel, writepixel, drawhorzline and drawvertline, and setpalette. 
Blitting
 support is optional, but if implemented allows enhanced functionality. 
All bitmap,
 font, cursor and color support is implemented on top of these
routines.  Support
 for 8, 15, 16, 24 and 32 bit truecolor systems as well as 1, 2, 4 and
8bpp 
 palletized systems is implemented.

I would like to see wscons provide a generic API that works across all
platforms
that use wscons so a single driver can be implemented in MicroWindows. 
At that
point other programs could use the same interface. 
I could imagine a number of programs working directly on wscons:
	MicroWindows / Nano-X
	Qt/Embedded
	vncviewer
	mgl

Considering that wscons provides wskbd, wsmouse, and wsdisplay (text),
it seems
reasonable to add basic framebuffer/graphics routines to it  as well. 
This would
let us support a microgui on handheld platforms, limited resource
platforms, etc
and provide some level of compatibility with Linux software. (e.g.
Qt/Embedded
and MicroWindows)

Does any of this sound reasonable?  Or should this be strictly in
userland?

Thanks.

-Andrwe