Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!andrea
From: andrea@hp-sdd.hp.com (Andrea K. Frankel)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: GKS/CGI/CORE/PHIGS for the PC ?
Message-ID: <1920@hp-sdd.hp.com>
Date: 13 Apr 89 18:49:11 GMT
References: <11431@s.ms.uky.edu> <2190001@hpldsla.HP.COM>
Reply-To: andrea@hp-sdd.UUCP (Andrea K. Frankel)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, San Diego Division
Lines: 44

In article <2190001@hpldsla.HP.COM> mjoshi@hpldsla.HP.COM writes:
>>Does anybody know of any graphics packages for the PC.
>>I've used BGI and Halo, but was wondering if there was anything like
>>maybe GKS, CGI, CORE, PHIGS etc.
>
>CGI was developed by SCO Xenix and is device independent interface
>to graphics devices. 

Most of the time, "CGI" refers to a graphics standard in the making (in
ASC X3H3.3 and ISO SC24) called "Computer Graphics Interfacing
Techniques for Dialogues with Graphical Devices", shortened to Computer
Graphics Interface (CGI) in common usage.  This was originally called "VDI"
for Virtual Device Interface when it was started around 1980, but got
renamed mid-stream when the Virtual Device Metafile (VDM) entered the
ISO arena and became Computer Graphics Metafile for the Storage and
Transfer of Picture Description Information, or Computer Graphics
Metafile (CGM) in common usage.

The CGI is not yet a standard, although it is expected to be within
about two years.  Along the long and arduous path to standardization,
several companies have come out with "their" version as products on
various hardware/OS platforms, sometimes taking the liberty of calling
them CGI or VDI.  (These products are usually based on a snapshot of
what the standard-in-progress looked like at a particular time, plus
whatever modifications, enhancements, and extensions that vendor chose
to offer to meet real or perceived market needs.)  None of these will
match the standard when it is done; some of them may be revised after
the standard is done, but who knows.

From the sentence in which it appeared, it looks like the original
poster is looking for something that is actually a standard - which
is a good way to gain application portability and vendor independence.
There may be existing products calling themselves CGI which do what
is needed as far as functionality, but until there is a true standard 
the would-be CGI user has no guarantees that their code will port to
any other CGI.

Andrea Frankel, Hewlett-Packard (San Diego Division) (619) 592-4664
	"wake now!  Discover that you are the song that the morning brings..."
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