> There is only one hang-up with color X. We don't know how to change
> the palette on the video cards. An extention to the mrg code will
> let us play like the slot manager and thus use the drivers which
> are on the video cards; the only viable option. A/UX uses them, from
> what I gathered from the X source code. I know people want to throw
> mrg out the window for adb, but for slots, I think we have no choice
> as otherwise we have a HUGE amount of porting to do, w/ even-more
> limited documentation.

The video firmware has highly uniform and well documented interface
because video must be able to be used before any drivers can be
installed.  So, basically, as to what firmware routines to call, we
have a fair amount of knowledge documented in fine details in
_Designing Cards and Drivers for the Macintosh Family_.  The problem
is that we cannot predict what ROM routines the firmware will call
(though we can guess, there seems no restrictions whatsoever as to
what firmware can call), and we don't even have emulation routines for
the ones used in the sample video firmware listed in the book.

> As I see it (from having read Designing Cards & Drivers..), the
> video drivers needs the Slot Manager, some QD (?) (enough to
> say I'm here, use me), and probably the interrupt manager to
> support interrupt servicing.

Uh, sorry, I wrote the above without reading this paragraph :-)

According to the NetBSD/mac68k web page on puma, Joshua Freier
<jdf2026@rit.edu> is working on the Slot Manager emulation(?).  Don't
flood his mail box with inquiries.  I just sent an email to him asking
the current status of the project, as the one now in charge of X for
NetBSD/mac68k (I suddenly found myself in the position after nudging
Allen for his X11R6 diffs...).

Cheers,

ken