The subject invention relates to a Universal Graphics Adapter (UGA) that is a
hardware-independent design that encapsulates and abstracts low-level graphics
hardware in a standard manner through firmware. UGA is a firmware standard, intended
to wrap existing or planned hardware, including VGA. UGA does not require the use
of real-mode assembly language, direct hardware register, or frame buffer access
to program, thus providing advantages over conventional systems. UGA supports basic
drawing operations, continuous display modes, and power management. As a firmware-based
standard, UGA facilitates updating a system to support both evolving and new hardware features.
