> I think the question would be, does the Newton retain this color info in
> the first place. If it just discards it, then it's a hopeless cause. If, on
> the other hand, it retains it, but the display just doesn't display it,
> then it should be theoretically possible, right? For instance, if you have
> a greyscale monitor set up on your computer. Is it not receiving both
> signals, but just ignoring the chromo? Not that I hold much hope of this
> happening (I do own a 130) but am curious. :-)
That's because the video card card is outputting the color information.
If you happen to have a monochrome video card, then it will not be sending
out ignored color information; the OS will be ignoring the color info.
> I understand that "greyscale" images cannot be viewed in color.
> But my point is if a low power color screen were inserted in the
> Newton 2.1's, and applications such as the above, were created to
> be viewed in FULL COLOR on a Newton, would we or would we not have
> COLOR NEWTONS!?
"inserted"? Sorry, but interfacing LCDs into devices like this is a bit
complex. It's not like standard computer monitors that have a normal
conenctor. LCD drivers are complex devices that depend on the specific
and exact characteristics of the LCD itself. If the LCD driver is
monochrome - and I would expect it likely is on the Newton - then it would
be utterly impractical to replace it with a color driver.
In the unlikely event that the LCD driver is capable of driving color
LCDs, and if you can find a color LCD that fits exactly into the space
left in the Newton, using a fully compatible touch screen design, and the
same connectors (buy a lottery ticket; you're more likely to win the
jackpot 10 times in a row than be this lucky) then you'll merely have to
rewrite large sections of the OS to handle color mapping and to keep color
information in all the screen buffers. (On a memory-starved system, you
do not store 24 bit screen buffers...)
If you have the technical ability to do all this, including the low level
undocumented knowledge of the core OS, perahps you could write an ATA
driver for us first? That would be an easy afternoon task for somebody
capable of doing what I just described...
Sorry for the negativity, but, well, it's just not going to happen.
sorry.
gopi.
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