Ang: Re: [SPARCbook] (no subject)

[helsod at algonet.se]

<   More than likely. This is what I was getting at before. It has been 
<my      experience that using a regular monitor with a sparc is a pain. 

Hm.. This is not my personal experience at all. I got tired of my old flaky 
slightly dim Sun monitor and threw it out even though i paid money for it. 
I then got an 18" TFT, it's a NEC I think. I could get the exact specs if 
anyones interested, but I don't have it in front of me right now. However, 
it is a modern multisync TFT with a BNC input and an ordinary VGA contact. 
It has worked fine with the following computers:
Sparc Ultra 2, IPX, Sparcbook 3GX, Ultrabook 1 at up to 1024x1280 8 bit, 
Sparcbook 3000XT at 1024x1280, and non Sparc machines such as NeXT and Indy 
(Silicon Graphics) worked nicely too, although the picture didn't cover 
the whole screen. Of course it works with pcs and macs too, but that's to 
be expected. 

The Sun monitor never worked with Nextstep and Indy since they do sync on 
green, and I don't know if it works on a pc. The TFT will sync on anything 
it seems, you just have to choose the right adapter and use the BNC or the 
VGA appropriately. There are not many combinations so you'll figure it out 
quickly.

The tricky bit with the TFT is that if you do not use the native resolution, 1280x1024 
the image is not as crisp as it should be since there is not a 1 to 1 ratio 
of image pixels and screen pixels. I opted for this resolution since the 
computers I worked with at the time supported it, mainly the Ultra2 with 
Creator 3D. I now use the Ultrabook for my Sparc based computing and it 
took me a while to figure out how to get the resolution. I write mon-1280 
at the ok prompt and then i reboot. I only get 8 bits but that works fine 
when hacking code.

I think the main thing is to get a very modern pc monitor, and perhaps not 
go for the cheapest alternative. I do miss the romantic uggliness of my 
bulky old Sun monitor sometimes though...

Peter