fleischer@gigi.DEC (Bob Fleischer 231-2132 MRO3-2/E7 ECS) (05/17/84)
SIGGRAPH CORE and GKS are well-known and loved (?) as two "hardware independent" interfaces to graphics. They do not seem to be particularly well suited to doing sophisticated bitmap graphics applications, however. Are any of you aware of any attempts to define a "hardware independent" bitmap graphics protocol? I would suggest that at the user level the Smalltalk "bitblit" and the Macintosh "quickdraw" interfaces are close to being what I'm thinking of. Also, I believe that part of the Microsoft Windows system is a raster-oriented "hardware independent" graphics interface. Are there any others? Are any standardization efforts underway for any of them? Bob Fleischer Digital Equipment Corporation 2 Iron Way (MRO3-2/E7) Marlboro, Massachusetts 01752 (617) 467-2132 ...decvax!decwrl!rhea!gigi!fleischer ...ucbvax!decwrl!rhea!gigi!fleischer Thu 17-May-1984 14:30 Bob GIGI::Fleischer 231-2132 MRO3-2/E7
brucec@orca.UUCP (05/22/84)
<2nd try - plus some additional info> Re the article by decwrl!rhea!gigi!fleischer The 1979 Core proposal does in fact include some raster stuff (in the back in a section called "proposal for raster extensions" or some such). I don't think it's the kind of whole-hearted bitmap support you are looking for, but I can't tell for sure, since someone seems to have redirected my copy elsewhere. There are two articles which might prove thought provoking: "A Device Independent Graphics Imaging Model for Use with Raster Devices" - Warnock & Wyatt (Xerox Parc) "A Conceptual Model of Raster Graphics Systems" - Acquah, Foley, Sibert, & Wenner (Geo. Washington U.) Both are in the Proceedings of SIGGRAPH '82 (Computer Graphics vol 16, no 3). The Warnock paper is especially interesting because the interface described was used in the Cedar programming environment, which is now in widespread use at Xerox. The ANSI X3H3 committee is grappling with standardizing raster primitives in the Virtual Device Interface (VDI) right now. Both Microsoft and DEC are represented on the VDI subcommittee (Bob: your principal DEC rep is Tom Powers, in Maynard). If anyone wants to get information, or assist in the standards effort, contact the chair of the VDI committee: Margaret Journey Precision Visuals 6260 Lookout Road Boulder, CO 80301 Bruce Cohen UUCP: ...!tektronix!orca!brucec CSNET: orca!brucec@tektronix ARPA: orca!brucec.tektronix@rand-relay USMail: M/S 61-183 Tektronix, Inc. P.O. Box 1000 Wilsonville, OR 97070
samackay@watcgl.UUCP (Steve MacKay) (05/24/84)
For more information on the Cedar programming environment, see "Experience with the Cedar Programming Environment for Computer Graphics Research" by Richard J. Beach of Xerox PARC in the proceedings of Graphics Interface '84. The paper will be presented on Wednesday May 30, 1984. For those who haven't heard or have forgotten, Graphics Interface '84 is being held at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, May 30 - June 1, 1984. Tutorials are being given May 28 and May 29. The preliminary program (and address for ordering copies of the proceedings) appears in ACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Quarterly, Volume 18, Number 2, May 1984. If you are interested in attending, phone (613) 231-4446 immediately or come register at the door. Stephen MacKay GI'84 Proceedings Editor National Research Council of Canada ...utzoo!dciem!nrcaero!nrccgs!mackay (613) 993-2629