[rescue] Weird Silicon Graphics o2 graphics issues

[Andrew Weiss]

On Thursday, October 2, 2003, at 04:11 PM, Nathan Raymond wrote:

>
> 8-bit color means that each pixel has a value of 0-255 (hence the 8 
> bits
> of memory per pixel).  For performance reasons, the number 200 (hex C8)
> typically means the same thing no matter where it is in video memory, 
> and
> <snip>

I think all three responses answered my question... i.e. the lack of 
understanding was based on an assumption that there were exactly 256 
unchanging colors in the palette, and that there could only be one 
palette.  This means of course there couldn't be 256 grays but whatever 
combinations of R, G, and B could be defined by 8 bit values.  This 
ignores brightness and contrast or flexible palettes to get 256 shades 
of brown.  I was imagining a fixed color wheel (WHICH although 
non-flexible, would have solved what I was getting at... apps would 
just specify color and pixel for all graphics and shoot to screen.  I 
think on an 8 bit or smaller graphics system, the flexible palette 
system results in far uglier graphics than needed... or far prettier 
for just one app and ugly for the rest.

And if I had thought about it... I'd probably have not jumped the gun 
and commented... (Brain off in space today)

Andrew