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PB165 4-bit mode & odd System behaviour

croissantking

Well-known member
I’m trying to figure out why System 7.x doesn’t render the title bar of open windows with nice greyscale shading on my PB165 when set to 16 greys or 16 colours.

Compare these two images:

IMG_4026.jpegIMG_4025.jpeg

The second picture is booted off the disk tools floppy but on the same machine. The first picture is a regular install of the 7.5.3 on a hard disk.

If I swap in a PB180 active matrix display to this computer, it will show the ‘nicer’ title bar.

It seems like a bug in the system software that sets the depth of the title bars to 1-bit when using a 4-bit passive matrix display.

Anyone know if there’s a patch/fix for this?
 

Phipli

Well-known member
I’m trying to figure out why System 7.x doesn’t render the title bar of open windows with nice greyscale shading on my PB165 when set to 16 greys or 16 colours.

Compare these two images:

View attachment 63173View attachment 63174

The second picture is booted off the disk tools floppy but on the same machine. The first picture is a regular install of the 7.5.3 on a hard disk.

If I swap in a PB180 active matrix display to this computer, it will show the ‘nicer’ title bar.

It seems like a bug in the system software that sets the depth of the title bars to 1-bit when using a 4-bit passive matrix display.

Anyone know if there’s a patch/fix for this?
I think it's a 7.5 thing. I think caused by doing a custom install. It results in a black apple menu in 256 colours too (on other machines).

I feel like it is a bit of a bug as it is sort of... Extreme minimum System File, to a stupid level, even if you select loads of extras on top of the base install. I've accidentally ended up with a load of slightly hobbled 7.5.3 installs on machines and it is part of the reason I'm not a 7.5 fan.
 

zefrenchtoon

Well-known member
Am I wrong or the "picasso mac" icon is in shades on the upper screen capture and in b&w on the lower one ? :unsure:
 

zefrenchtoon

Well-known member
You are right, but this is because the disk tools floppy is cut down in terms of icons and suchlike.
it was just to be sure :giggle:
so it is very strange to have a somewhat cutdown installed system (with b&w title bar) but containing full icon set on a side and a full "color" title bar with reduced icon set on the other side o_O

I did not know that this kind of result was possible with 7.5 ... :(

I recently had to make a fresh custom install of 7.5.3 on my 475 to get an optimized system for this computer, I will have to check this kind of details ...
 

croissantking

Well-known member
IMG_4078.jpeg
Removed the resource highlighted above (video drivers?) and got nicely shaded title bars back. I wonder what, if anything, this will break. Interestingly, DBLite was a codename for the PowerBook Duo 210/230, not the 160/165/180.

IMG_4079.jpeg
 
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