What about DJGPP ?!?!

["Slightly Hacktic" <hacktic@Hotmail.com>]

Hi all,

I am just a beginning game developer, though I've been trying out some game 
programming stuff for a year or so and I'm still not sure with what compiler 
to begin.

I read that the DJGPP is an excellent game develop compiler. So I thought I 
have found my compiler.
I've read lots of tutorials on game development with lots of code for DJGPP 
and non-DJGPP compilers.

My problem is that most tutorials show how to plot pixels straight to this 
A000:0000 memory area, while in DJGPP I would need to use _farpokeb() or 
_farsetsel() to set some 'selector' (_dos_ds) to enable me to access this 
memory area.
When I finally figured this real and protected mode stuff out I come across 
other functions and constants like __dpmi_segment_to_descriptor(), 
__djgpp_conventional_base, far and near stuff, etc (DJGPP's library shows 
zillions of these 'scary' kinds). It would almost look like DJGPP is a 
language of its own and not ANSI C. I know ... I know ... behind all of 
these functions and constants the ANSI C probably would surface.
Should I just turn the protected mode off by using __djgpp_nearptr_enable()?

Also I recently read in a posted mail in this list that the openGL library 
for DJGPP is not the Opengl32.dll (that comes with the windows-OS) but 
something else (forgot the name). While the DJGPP is a fully 32 bit 
compiler?!?!

Are there any other things like these that I would encounter with DJGPP that 
is different from 'general' code used in most online tutorials? Or is it 
just the graphical stuff that is so different?

If I learn all this DJGPP stuff, would I still be marketable with other 
compilers (like Borland C) without a rehabilitation?  Would it still be wise 
for me to continue with DJGPP for easy coding?

Thanks;
-=* Mark *=-

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