[maemo-developers] Xsp pixel-doubling solutions for Nokia 770?

[From: Daniel Stone]

On Mon, Apr 30, 2007 at 02:26:37PM +0300, Eero Tamminen wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Daniel Stone wrote:
> >>> On Mon, Apr 30, 2007 at 09:34:38AM +0200, ext Frantisek Dufka wrote:
> >>> You mean, modify every single drawing X request in the X protocol so it
> >>> contains flags, meaning that we have to change every drawing-related
> >>> function in -- on average -- ten (at least) places in the server
> >>> codebase, rendering us incompatible with the standard X server codebase,
> >>> as well as the X protocol?
> >>>
> >>> Plus, the update is done long after the drawing information has been
> >>> discarded.
> 
> Yes, this would imply that the flag is propagated to the FB update
> structs (i.e. minor implementation detail compared to adding it to GC
> which is part of the standard X API :-)).

The point is that, as it stands, the GC has no bearing on it.  All
drawing is done to the main screen pixmap.  A timer runs to check the
damage on the pixmap, and flush the affected areas: i.e. it's not
strictly connected to the rendering callchain, but runs as a side-effect
thereof.

> >>> Sure, but that's mainly because pixel-doubling is a non-portable hack
> >>> (doesn't exist in other products, doesn't exist on desktops, may not
> >>> necessarily exist in future products).  It's not a hack because of how
> >>> it's implemented, but just by its very nature.
> >> Hmm, I would not call a feature in HW a hack. It's just a feature of
> >> particular hardware which can be utilized.
> 
> Nothing says that the *API* should be limited to 2x.
> That's an implementation limitation, you don't need to
> design an API around the limitation.

Hence, XRandR.  The only thing worse than designing a bad API, is
designing _another_ API.

> > The entire concept is a hack around games not running quickly enough in
> > full resolution.  Specifying that pixels must be exactly _doubled_ is a
> > hack around both the performance issues and a lack of resolution
> > independence.  Apparently an important one, if you happen to like SDL
> > games, but a hack nonetheless.
> 
> Well, this is broken on the desktop too.
> 
> There are also Desktop programs (games) which change screen resolution
> and when they for some reason freeze and I need to kill them, the screen
> is left in wrong size.  It should be possible for these X clients to
> state that the new resolution is kept only while the client is connected
> and once it disconnects, the normal (default) resolution is restored.
> And this should be the default I think (it's easier to change settings
> programs to have "permanent" flag than change all programs using
> resolution changing).

If you can come up with a policy that works in corner cases, you're a
genius.
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