Laptop

[Craze Frog]

<automatic counter for personal-taste-argument>
Your application should know what video card is used, so it can take advantage of its capabilities.

Applications doesn't need to do that. Maybe for games.

[Zenith]

Games ARE applications . An OS should define a standard interface for video cards, but should always provide an option for any application to take advantage of that specific video card's features.

BTW, does anybody realize how OT we've gone?

[quok]

I've never actually seen someone use a docking station though... and I never seen them anywhere but online.. so isn't it true that they are becoming much less popular? And yes, this is very worrysome.. the different monitor bit seems the hardest part assuming everything else used firewire or usb (or e-Sata) which btw, has anyone gotten native SATA speed support built into their OS yet?

I've got two IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad lappies that have docking stations, and I use them quite regularly. At work I also have a Dell laptop with a docking station that again is used regularly. Anytime I have to use that Dell, it's on the docking station. In fact, I've never used it without the docking station, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've used the Dell in the last year. I hate that thing.

However, many of my coworkers also have Dell laptops with docking stations, and they regularly use the laptops both with and without the docking station. Most of them use the docking station when at work, and then take the laptop home with them at night for on-call duties.

Docking stations really aren't all that rare. They are probably just more familiar to people in business environments.

BTW, does anybody realize how OT we've gone?

Yeah, we've noticed. Thus the attempt to get things back on topic again.

[Love4Boobies]

I've never even heard of docking stations before. I had to wiki 'em. I haven't seen them in stores, on TV or anywhere else. Also, I see no real issue with laptops and OSDev.

[Brynet-Inc]

Probably the biggest thing that worries me about laptops is docking stations. While the OS is running, the user puts their laptop into the docking station and suddenly there's a floppy drive, CD, printer, a different keyboard and a different monitor; and the OS is meant to detect this, auto-configure all the new hardware and bring it all up to speed (potentially including telling applications that the video mode they were using isn't supported on the new monitor and can't be used anymore).

Most modern docks appear as USB hubs, older ones weren't really hot plug.. you had to power down the laptop before you could utilize the extra ports.

If some older docks do support "hot plugging", you likely wouldn't need to rescan the ISA bus.. the additional devices are probably assumed always there.

As for having another VGA port, many laptops have one in addition to the internal LCD.. I won't touch the resolution thing with a 30 foot pole.

[Craze Frog]

Games ARE applications .

No seriously, where did you learn English, 4chan?

"Application" comes from the word "apply", which means "to put to use especially for some practical purpose". Playing a game doens't have any practical purpose. You're confusing application with program.

a program that gives a computer instructions that provide the user with tools to accomplish a task; "he has tried several different word processing applications"

A game is not a tool and does not help the user accomplish any real task.

[Combuster]

Troll confirmed.

Its very inappropriate to flame people when you are losing a debate, and I suggest you watch YOUR english before I renew your warnings.

And read wikipedia before posting BS.