antek@binoc.tamu.edu (Antek Laczkowski) (10/30/90)
Hi!
This is a "standard" call for a discussion - in this case I would like to
propose a news group for people programming in *** PHIGS ***.
For those of you, who know what a beast PHIGS is - I may only remain, how
difficult is to find messages about your beloved subject in the bunch of
x-windows or graphics related stuff. And how great it would be to have
a clear, one-subject group related ONLY to PHIGS problems, solutions,
questions, etc - see below, what exacly I would expect from that group.
This "CALL" is not an "ad hoc" one - I posted a short note, not an official
call previously, and get several enthusiastic letters about such a group.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO'VE never HEARD ABOUT ***phigs*** :
What's PHIGS ?
Following words I found on a box with "pierogies" in a food store:
"It is just delicious !!" But it is nothing to eat :) "PHIGS" is a
set of computer subprograms, a library of routines, which were created
esp. for graphics, and - I believe - esp. for 3-D graphics. The famous SUN
UNIX workstations implemented PHIGS, it is also known under other UNIX
- and not only - graphics subsystems. IT IS a STANDARD.
WHAT DOES "PHIGS" offer ?
First and the best: SPEED. The implementations I know are the fastest
graphic libraries working on a given type of computer. They are optimized
to work on workstations and make a good use of their memory and all kind of
processors.
Second: Structural programing. Using PHIGS, you call routines for building
STRUCTURES. A "structure" may include primitives - like a line or a character
as well as *transformations* - scaling, rotating, etc. A structure may also
include "execute ANOTHER structure" calls, and this powerfull recursion
allows a user to build complicated graphics interfaces using just few words.
Third: Primitives: I wouldn't call them that way! Polylines, shaded poly-
gons, spline-based curve approximations, setting colors directly or through
color indices, movable and scaleable text, light sources of different kind,
rendering, hidden surface removal - with a good hadrware interface, where
possible, oh, a manual is more than 1000 pages tick. All has also clear, self-
explaining terminology and routine names. All could be dynamically modified
using various input devices.
If you don't know PHIGS yet - the news group is also a chance for newusers!
Now for ALL OF YOU: What I expect the group shoud cover:
1) Be consistent with its proposed name: comp.graphics.phigs
2) Allow PHIGS users to exchange information without digging in thousands
of other graphics-related messages.
3) Allow all "newcomers" to PHIGS ask questions and - hopefully - get answers.
4) Be a forum for crying about particular PHIGS implementations - not every-
thing is ideal.
5) Be UNMODERATED. (Do you have any idea, how to abuse such a list ???)
6) Be a forum for PHIGS addicts, for posting their genius solutions.
7) Providing - maybe as it becomes older - a place for proposing PHIGS
extensions and "lists of wishes" - maybe someone will write them ?
8) Be about PHIGS, and be clean - no flame wars.
That's my proposal - what do YOU think about it ?? Please, excause me my
English errors - I'm not a native English speaker. Let the disscussion
start NOW! If I post it correctly, and Mr. Moderator posts it - the time
for discussion will be the NOVEMBER '90. Then - I'm not sure - should be
another month for the disscussion, or a time for voting - which would be
in December, what's not good, maybe January would serve better ??
(Christmass!). But I'm really not sure about the formal routine...
Antek Laczkowski, Internet: ANTEK @ {BIGRAF, BIOCH, BINOC}.TAMU.EDU
Bitnet: ANTEK @ TAMBIGRF <-- note! no "A", TAMBIGRF.
Texas Decnet: BIGRAF::ANTEK
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