annotate vidix/README.dha @ 30534:65a8e80c1474

Avoid using sscanf for basic parsing, it is horribly slow. Now uses strncmp as a first step, which is 40 times faster.

lidbha - Direct Hardware Access library
=======================================

This library was designed for providing direct hardware access under different
OS'es and architectures, so it's platform- and os-independent.

The main project on the top of libdha is Vidix. It provides userspace
video drivers for Matrox, Ati, 3Dlabs, Trident (and it's still evolving).

For the full list of supported OS'es read the sources, anyway here's a 'reported
as working' list (these platforms are used daily):
 Linux/x86
 FreeBSD/x86
 NetBSD/x86
 Linux/PPC

There are different ways to access the hardware, normally only ROOT can do that.
With root privileges libdha will run fine, but there are some others ways
to use it as a normal user:
1, set the SUID bit on the binary (in this way it runs with root privileges)
2, use svgalib kernel helper (please read the comment in the Makefile)
3, use dhahelper (not yet finished)

The library is based on XFree86 and gfxdump (a utility from the GATOS project)
sources.

Original import and design by Nick Kurshev and Alex Beregszaszi.
Current maintenance and dhahelper by Alex Beregszaszi.
Svgalib kernelhelper support by Matan Ziv-Av.
(for the e-mail addresses see the AUTHORS file in MPlayer)