#3.1 & Bridgeboard
5 messages in this thread
Werner
My version of Amouse is also 1.7. I use Amouse3.drv for Windows, but I
have no problem with nonWindows applications with Amouse. I am also running a
super VGA video board. I don't if that helps you or not. I have Os2/Warp but I
think i will have to sell it since I can not use it without com2. I need com1
and com2 for the mouse and modem. Os2/Warp seems to be too smart to use
Amouse3.drv like windows does. It looks at the com ports and knows that there
is no serial mouse then ignores the Amouse3.drv
Robert
Robert,
>> I have no problem with nonWindows applications with Amouse
hmm… I got the following problem with DOS applications:
In 640 x 480 VGA 16 color mode, the mouse will only be movable in the upper 640
x 350 pixel area. At the same time, in the 351th line, some garbage is
appearing – obviously the mouse driver allocated its buffer there.
Maybe the Trident VGA BIOS and the mouse driver aren't compatable, but I think
the driver simply doesn't support anything better than EGA modes. I can't test
for it, because the mouse driver won't support function 29h of int 33h.
I haven't tested windows on my bridgboard, though.
– wkc – … via AP from Hamburg, Germany
Werner,
I just ran AutoCad in Dos to see how my mouse works. It is just
perfect. I'm wondering if you have a memory management problem. I know that I
had a problem before if Amouse was loaded before the memory manager. You do
have to load the Memory manager first. We have also found that the memory
manager can not use Addresses A000 through AFFF, B800 through BFFF, or C800
through C400. This seems to be on all IBM compatibles not just Bridge Boards. I
did some research on that Trident VGA and learned that you should not have any
trouble with it. Trident has been around for a long time.
I would also suggest a Super VGA card, not just for you but for anyone
BB or standard IBM clone. They are not too expensive and the display is very
much better. There are no scan lines visible and the cursor will not blink if
there is other action on the display. Robert
Robert,
thank you for your efforts to help me with my amouse problem. I appreciate this
very much.
As my bridgeboard is an A2286 only, I don't run a memory manager. I use the
bridgeboard mainly for converting files to the Amiga from 5.1/4" MS-DOS
formatted disks. The second purpose running the bridgeboard, is to test MS-DOS
based programs I wrote for compatibility.
The trident card I got in my Amiga is some SVGA, it will display 600 x 800 VESA
mode (6Ah) just fine (no mouse of course).
I wonder if ACad will do some direct accesses to the mouse driver beyond simply
managing it through int 33h.
There are some other things you have to attend using the amouse driver.
– The mouse pointer will only move to any new location when explicitly
calling the mouse driver. So you have to poll the driver to make the
pointer move continiously,
– Mouse functions 05h (Get Button Press Information) and 06h (Get Button
Release Information) don't work reliably – one has to code a workaround
for this.
The fact the cursor blinks when there is some other action on the display
simply results from the need that you have to turn the mouse pointer off each
time you do any rendering on the screen, to protect the mouse pointer's buffer
from containing the old image, which would be visible again when you move the
mouse. It's no hardware sprite as with the Amiga.
When writing a program, you can reduce the visible blinking by only turning the
mouse pointer off when it is in the area you are rendering. There is a function
(10h – Conditional Off) in each mouse driver which will support this.
Well, I think I finally have to disassemble and reverse engineer the amouse
driver to look for a possible patch. Bad job, though.
Thanks again for your suggestions.
– wkc – … via AP from Hamburg, Germany
Werner,
<<Well, I think I finally have to disassemble and reverse engineer the amouse
driver to look for a possible patch. Bad job, though.<<
If you ever get it done, let us know. There are a lot of BB owners who would
like a more reliable Amouse.
Marion Deland
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