VOGONS


First post, by yevrowl

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What a list of text and graphics modes for Q(uick)Basic would look like, in a dream. Please see the attached image.
P. S. Additions are welcome. ÷)

÷)

Reply 1 of 16, by leileilol

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Before anyone on the internet finds this and mistakes it for an officially supported mode list (as the thread title currently implies), QBASIC only supports up to mode 13. There is no 5 or 6.

The following table summarizes screen modes:

ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMDPA, CGA, Hercules, Olivetti, EGA, VGA, or MCGA AdaptersÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
SCREEN 0: Text mode only
þ 40 x 25, 40 x 43, 40 x 50, 80 x 25, 80 x 43, or 80 x 50 text format,
8 x 8 character box (8 x 14, 9 x 14, or 9 x 16 with EGA or VGA)
þ 16 colors assigned to any of 16 attributes (with CGA or EGA)
þ 64 colors assigned to any of 16 attributes (with EGA or VGA)
þ Depending on the text resolution and adapter, 8 video memory pages
(0-7), 4 pages (0-3), 2 pages (0-1), or 1 page (0)

ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄCGA, EGA, VGA, or MCGA AdaptersÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
SCREEN 1: 320 x 200 graphics
þ 40 x 25 text format, 8 x 8 character box
þ 16 background colors and one of two sets of 3 foreground colors
assigned using COLOR statement with CGA
þ 16 colors assigned to 4 attributes with EGA or VGA
þ 1 video memory page (0)
SCREEN 2: 640 x 200 graphics
þ 80 x 25 text format, 8 x 8 character box
þ 16 colors assigned to 2 attributes with EGA or VGA
þ 1 video memory page (0)

ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄHercules, Olivetti, or AT&T AdaptersÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
SCREEN 3: Hercules adapter required, monochrome monitor only
þ 720 x 348 graphics
þ 80 x 25 text format, 9 x 14 character box
þ Usually 2 video memory pages (0-1); 1 page (0) if a second color
display adapter is installed
þ PALETTE statement not supported
þ Invoke the Hercules driver MSHERC.COM before using screen mode 3
SCREEN 4:
þ Supports Olivetti Personal Computers models M24, M240, M28, M280,
M380, M380/C, and M380/T and AT&T Personal Computers 6300 series
þ 640 x 400 graphics
þ 80 x 25 text format, 8 x 16 character box
þ 1 of 16 colors assigned as the foreground color (selected by the
COLOR statement); background is fixed at black
þ 1 video memory page (0)
þ PALETTE statement not supported

ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄEGA or VGA AdaptersÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
SCREEN 7: 320 x 200 graphics
þ 40 x 25 text format, 8 x 8 character box
þ Assignment of 16 colors to any of 16 attributes
þ If 64K EGA adapter memory, 2 video memory pages (0-1); otherwise,
8 pages (0-7)
SCREEN 8: 640 x 200 graphics
þ 80 x 25 text format, 8 x 8 character box
þ Assignment of 16 colors to any of 16 attributes
þ If 64K EGA adapter memory, 1 video memory page (0); otherwise,
4 pages (0-3)
SCREEN 9: 640 x 350 graphics
þ 80 x 25 or 80 x 43 text format, 8 x 14 or 8 x 8 character box
þ 16 colors assigned to 4 attributes (64K adapter memory), or
64 colors assigned to 16 attributes (more than 64K adapter memory)
þ If 64K EGA adapter memory, 1 video memory page (0); otherwise,
2 pages (0-1)

ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄEGA or VGA Adapters, Monochrome Monitor OnlyÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Show last 23 lines
SCREEN 10: 640 x 350 graphics, monochrome monitor only
þ 80 x 25 or 80 x 43 text format, 8 x 14 or 8 x 8 character box
þ Up to 9 pseudocolors assigned to 4 attributes
þ 2 video memory pages (0-1), 256K adapter memory required

ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄVGA or MCGA AdaptersÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Screen 11 (VGA or MCGA)
þ 640 x 480 graphics
þ 80 x 30 or 80 x 60 text format, 8 x 16 or 8 x 8 character box
þ Assignment of up to 256K colors to 2 attributes
þ 1 video memory page (0)
Screen 12 (VGA)
þ 640 x 480 graphics
þ 80 x 30 or 80 x 60 text format, 8 x 16 or 8 x 8 character box
þ Assignment of up to 256K colors to 16 attributes
þ 1 video memory page (0)
Screen 13 (VGA or MCGA)
þ 320 x 200 graphics
þ 40 x 25 text format, 8 x 8 character box
þ Assignment of up to 256K colors to 256 attributes
þ 1 video memory page (0)

apsosig.png
long live PCem

Reply 2 of 16, by Jo22

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+1

There's a patch to make SCREEN 4 work on non-Olivetti systems.
A friendly Vogons user told me about the modifications.
Could be useful for those PC emulators on Atari ST/Amiga supporting it.

Btw, the higher modes can perhaps be implemented by using a custom code module/library.
I remember that a Super VGA library (shareware) was available for QB45 in the early 90s..

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 3 of 16, by yevrowl

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Quadram Quadcolor:
320 × 200 × 136
640 × 200 × 16

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Reply 4 of 16, by yevrowl

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Olivetti M24
512 × 256 × 8
640 ×400 × 16

PC1512
640 × 200 × 16

ET2000
640×480 × 4

DCGA (Double Size CGA) — Toshiba J3100
640×400 × 2 (partially compatible with the Olivetti/AT&T 6300 graphics)

GDC — Goldstar GDC-212M
640×400 × 2

Last edited by yevrowl on 2023-09-04, 10:07. Edited 1 time in total.

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Reply 6 of 16, by the3dfxdude

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The Quadram Quadmaster III has no graphics capability.

Reply 7 of 16, by yevrowl

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the3dfxdude wrote on 2023-09-03, 22:14:

The Quadram Quadmaster III has no graphics capability.

Thanks a lot, corrected the Wikipedia article.

÷)

Reply 9 of 16, by yevrowl

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Augmented version, 36 graphics modes.

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Reply 10 of 16, by Benedikt

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What about the 640x200x16 mode of the ATI "Small Wonder" Graphics Solution?

Reply 13 of 16, by Benedikt

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IIRC, all of ATI's CGA-based Graphics Solution cards were initially advertised as "Small Wonder", even if the card itself did not always say that.

You can find links to more information and a small proof-of-concept bitmap viewer in one of my earlier posts.

Reply 15 of 16, by yevrowl

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The updated table as an attachment. There are 40 graphics modes in total.

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