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From: miner@ulowell.UUCP (Richard Miner)
Newsgroups: net.graphics
Subject: Re: VDI/CGI
Message-ID: <307@ulowell.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 6-May-86 11:20:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: ulowell.307
Posted: Tue May  6 11:20:30 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 8-May-86 22:00:27 EDT
References: <277@vecpyr.UUCP>
Reply-To: miner@ulowell.UUCP (Richard Miner)
Distribution: net
Organization: University of Lowell
Lines: 33
Keywords: CGI VDI GraphCap Device-drivers

In article <277@vecpyr.UUCP> greg@vecpyr.UUCP (Greg Millar) writes:
>
>CGI/VDI is not a finalized standard yet. 

  This is correct, there is a currently only one aproved ANSI 
graphics standard, that is GKS. Next to follow will be the standard
for the Computer Graphics MetaFile CGM in Jan-87, I think Phigs and
then CGI. This is according to informations I received from Peter Bono
the ANSI X3H3 Chairman. CGI is only in the draft proposal stage now.
>
>our GKS (with our vdi) and you want to add a new device driver, all you 
>have to do is add a new graphcap entry (sort of like a termcap entry)

  This sounds like it will work nice for devices that you can just send 
ESC sequences or that have ASCII stream bindings, but what about parallel
devices, or devices that have there own graphics libraries?

  The solution to the problem of  being able to create your own device
drivers is to have a GKS and or VDI/CGI WITH SOURCE!  We needed  to have
a GKS running on many systems with easy to modify device drivers. No one
could supply us with one so we engineered our own. We will distribute to
non-profit organizations with source at a minimal price to cover cost of
distribution and the few students keeping the code up to date.  Profit
organizations must pay a little more. 

  Please no flames about being commercial, with the cost of most GKS 
packages and give the fact we  give source; this is more like charity.


UUCP: !wanginst!ulowell!miner    Rich Miner
ARPA: miner@ulowell.CSNET        University of Lowell, Comp Sci Dept
TALK: (617) 452-5000 x2693       Lowell MA 01854 USA
Home of a cheap portable 2b/2c GKS w/source -