Subject: Re: how fast^H^H^H^Hslow?
To: None <port-next68k@netbsd.org>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
List: port-next68k
Date: 05/20/2002 23:48:06
> For Unixy things, these machines are quite fast.

Well, comparatively.  They are 68k machines at what, about 40MHz?  Even
an '040/40 isn't "quite fast" next to something like today's low end
for new Inhell boxen. :-(

> I do note that graphics can be slow, but I think NetBSD doesn't
> really support much in the way of graphics?

With a few minor tweaks, you can mmap the framebuffer.  I've managed to
get X running, in dumb-framebuffer mode.  I've some reason to think
there's blitter hardware in there, but as far as I know there is zero
public documentation for it.  (I'd _love_ to be wrong about that....)

I find that X is about as fast as you can expect from an '040/40 with
no hardware graphics assist on a 2bpp framebuffer.  I find it usable; I
suspect people who are used to the latest 18GHz Hexium [%] will find it
execrably slow.

[%] To steal a phrase from a friend of mine....

/~\ The ASCII				der Mouse
\ / Ribbon Campaign
 X  Against HTML	       mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca
/ \ Email!	     7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39  4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B