Message-ID: <19980316144332.15830@atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz> Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 14:43:32 +0100 From: Jan Hubicka To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com, djgpp-announce AT delorie DOT com Subject: ANNOUCE-aalib1.2-an ascii art GFX library Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Precedence: bulk Why such library? ================= I vote for simplicity. There are many problems of various kinds with video cards, low frequency monitors, crashing graphical apps... AA-lib IS the solution. It works on a terminal of any kind, it is fast and portable, it gives to you standard API. It gives to your old hardware more power! Supports: dos (VGA + MDA), stdio, curses, slang, X11, gpm, linux-console, OS/2 What does this software do then ? ================================= AA-lib is a low level gfx library just as many other libraries are. The main difference is that AA-lib does not require graphics device. In fact, there is no graphical output possible. AA-lib replaces those old-fashioned output methods with powerful ascii-art renderer. Now my linux boots with a nice penguin logo at secondary display (yes! Like Win95 does:) AA-lib API is designed to be similar to other graphics libraries. Learning a new API would be a piece of cake! Whats new? ========== Changes since version 1.0 o Many fixes and cleanups o Now builds as shared library o New API call for hidding mouse cursor o New dos keyboard handler o DOS mouse driver o Documentation for writing new driver. o Added aa_printf o Driverdata mechanizm is now useable o X driver updated so it can now handle multiple windows o Now uses automake to generate Makefiles o AAsave extensions by Tim Newsome (better filename handling, more extensible, new file formats - irc, zephyr, roff, dT 8 8 Tb dT 8 8 Tb Three goals of AA-Project: 1. Port all important software (like Doom, Second Reality, X windows etc..) on AA-lib. 2. Port AA-lib on all available platforms (mainly ZX-Spectrum and Sharp). 3. Force IBM to start manufacturing MDA cards again. AA-project was started by Jan Hubicka. In that times just a few people knew about it. Then a new demo named BB has been relased to show the power of AA-lib technology. Now the project is freely available and anyone can help. --