Overview
"...I've found this book useful when I've reached for it, and I've found myself reaching for it increasingly often, and that's the real test of any reference."
- Michael Abrash, Dr. Dobb's Journal
"A gold mine of information...." - PC Resource
"You will find this a valuable reference source....It takes the place of detailed technical manuals that explain the theory of programming these devices, but which are not designed to teach the practice."
- Online Today
"This book provides essential tools urgently needed by graphics programmers. Now, the full potential of the Super VGAs can be realized."
- Bo Ericsson, Cirrus Logic Board Member, VESA Standards Committee
Programmer's Guide to the EGA, VGA and Super VGA Cards, Third Edition, is the definitive guide to industry graphics standards for personal computers. This classic reference gives readers the knowledge and skills they need for successful graphics programming. It explains the PC graphics environments and graphics programming principles and details the features and operation of the Super VGA, VGA, XGA, 8514/A and EGA graphics standards. The core of the book teaches readers how to write programs that support and take advantage of both these standards and the most popular chip sets and graphics boards supporting these standards. The book features a set of extensive, protected-mode compatible and optimized code examples in C and assembly language that illustrate techniques for programming text, font, graphics, and color features of the major industry chip sets.
This thoroughly revised third edition of the Programmer's Guide focuses on the Super VGA standard thatnow dominates the industry. The book details programming parameters and techniques for the latest graphics cards in both completely revised and wholly new chapters. The Programmer's Guide also features entirely new coverage of:
- graphics accelerators
- the most current Super VGA chips
- the Adapter Interface (AI) standard
- IBM's XGA and 8514/A standards
- ISA, VESA (VL) and PCI bus standards
- types of graphics systems and their basic operation.
This revised, updated edition gives graphics programmers and developers all the knowledge and skills they need to successfully program graphics hardware. It is a complete reference to the video graphics standard for IBM and compatible personal computers.