STEINBERGER@SRI-KL.ARPA (Richard Steinberger) (11/26/86)
A few weeks ago I asked for advice on selecting a GKS for a uVAX II. Some
people provided helpful suggestions and several asked that a summary of my
conclusions be posted - so here it is.
What I was looking for is a version of GKS that is the most recent standard
(2b) that will easily run on a uVAX (Fortran bindings) and produce output
for the laser printer that we will likely purchase (LNO3+). In addition,
I was looking for a set of higher level graphics calls (that call GKS
routines) and allow 'publication quality' plots.
There are at least half a dozen companies with GKS codes for Vaxes.
Prices range from $500 to $3500. Some of these companies also offer
higher level routines (not necessarily for Fortran use). It seems that GKS
is not yet fully 'jelled' even though it is an ANSI standard. We may
have to wait a few more years to get a mature product - i.e. there is no
guarantee that one company's higher level routines that use their own GKS
will run on a different GKS. There is also the issue of device drivers.
You want a GKS that provides output that you can see! One company
(Tektronix) doesn't support any laser printer, concentrating instead on
pen plotters and terminals.
Here's a table to further summarize what I've found:
Company Product(s) Comment
____________________________________________________________________________
Univ of Lowell GKS (2b) $500 for non-profits
Research Foundation $2000 otherwise
Lowell MA 01854 full source code
Devices: a variety, but
no Postscript, no LNO3 (?)
Visual Engineering GKS (2b) $995. Big supplier to
San Jose, CA Unix market, also has
a VMS version. Said
they don't own an LNO3+
but customers say it works
on their LNO3s.
DEC GKS (2b) $1877 (with GSA discount 20%)
Works with 'everything' DEC
makes. (uVAX price above).
Tektronix GKS (2b) $2995 - See above comments.
Precision Visuals GKS (2b) $3500. Why does this cost
Boulder, CO so much? I have used DI-3000
(303)530-9000 from PV - it works well.
NOVA GKS ? They never returned my calls!
(Deep in the heart of)
Texas
Advanced Technology GKS I haven't yet been able to
find these folks. I've
heard they have a good
product.
NCAR
Boulder, Co Higher level + GKS This is a government agency.
(303)497-1295 Their graphics group is in
some kind of transition.
They have an allegedly good
set of higher level graphics
calls that call their own
(level 0a ?) GKS. A sepa-
VAX computing group can now
issue this ($200 !) for VAXES.
Sounds like a bargain.
ICEX High level $2500 - $5000 +
Boulder GKS (0a) They seem to have acquired
many of the NCAR routines
and are now selling them.
LNO3+ in TEK mode is
supported.
Safe bet: The DEC GKS will certainly work on the LNO3+. For $200,
the NCAR routines are certainly worth the risk - I think they provide source.
What should YOU get? Depends on how much money you want to spend, what
your output devices are, and how much support you need. The U Lowell is
probably an excellent product (though I haven't used it) for $500 - be sure
it has a device driver for you; although they claim that they provide tools
to allow you to build a driver in 2 - 3 days. Visual Engineering may be a
good product - they use it where I work. I heard of some bugs and unhappy
programmers, though. The $995 price is for uVAX only. The DEC GKS - what
can I say - there's certainly the support for DEC devices and it's probably
a well-tested product (has anyone had a bad experience with it?).
The TEK GKS may be just what you want if you have pen plotters.
There a some relatively high-level packages available that are not GKS-
based. DI-3000 and DISSPLA are 2 that come to mind. Neither are cheap
but they may be all you'll ever need. I've used DISSPLA and found it an
excellent product; DI-3000 too.
These are some of the conclusions that a 'non-graphics' programmer has
drawn. Please contact if there are any serious errors presented here and
I shall try to post a correction.
-Ric Steinberger
Steinberger@sri-kl.arpa
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