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From: peter@sugar.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: How do I read the Joysticks?
Message-ID: <1145@sugar.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Nov-87 08:41:00 EST
Article-I.D.: sugar.1145
Posted: Mon Nov 30 08:41:00 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 4-Dec-87 02:55:34 EST
References: <760@hubcap.UUCP> <816@sdcc18.ucsd.EDU> <2073@umd5.umd.edu> <817@sdcc18.ucsd.EDU>
Organization: Sugar Land UNIX - Houston, TX
Lines: 25
Keywords: joysticks
Summary: Why POOKing is a bad idea.

cs162ffl@sdcc18.ucsd.EDU (John Schultz) writes:
> (Reading joydat is harmless.  If anyone can *prove* otherwise I'm
> all ears [not just hypothetical situations].  If the hardware is
> changed, then will my programs compiled today that access joydat via
> the gameport.device still work?  I seem to have heard somewhere that
> even that device does not follow the so-called rules)

Even if gameport.device doesn't follow the rules (what rules would those be?
It's a low-level device driver), any new hardware will come with a new version
of gameport.device. That's what the device is *for*. That's what the rules
are, basically. Use as high-level an interface as you can.

That's why it's a bad idea to go to the hardware directly. If everyone uses
gameport.device, then there's only one place that has to be changed.

As for speed, I'm working on a video game. On the Amiga. I'm doing EVERYTHING
through the high level drivers. I still haven't seen ANY perceptible slowdown
no matter how fast I run the game. I've cranked it up so fast it's totally
unplayable, and I've still got gobs of CPU time available.

The Amiga is a fast enough machine you don't need to PEEK, POKE, and POOK
99% of the time. And even if you do, do it as a last resort.
-- 
-- Peter da Silva  `-_-'  ...!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!sugar!peter
-- Disclaimer: These U aren't mere opinions... these are *values*.