Date: Tue, 15 Nov 94 23:38:30 GMT
From: dolan AT fnoc DOT navy DOT mil (Kent Dolan)
To: djgpp AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu
Subject: Correction, CGI != CGM

> From dolan Sun Oct 23 19:00:37 1994
> Subject: Re: Gnat_1.83/Ada 9X

Never, ever, get too full of your own "expertise".  I said:

>>> Does anyone know what graphic interface using DOS can be used with
>>> GNAT?

>> To clarify this question: GNAT for DOS is built upon DJGPP using the
>> GCC back end.  So the question becomes what graphic interfaces are
>> there that can be used with DJGPP assuming a developer can write a thin
>> Ada binding to the interface.

[...]

> GKS is the Graphical Kernel System, an ANSI and ISO standard, and
> provides a very full featured 2D graphics Application Programming
> Interface.  [...] They also sell an implementation of CGI, the lower
> level programming interface for creating portable graphics data files.
> Many commercial shrink wrap software products support CGI as an
> "interface of last resort".

Sigh.  Only 12 years as a drone instead of a worker, and I've totally
lost my mind.

GKS, the "Graphical Kernel System",  is an applications level
     programming interface for 2D graphics.

CGI, the "Computer Graphics Interface",  is a graphics device driver
     front-end-level programming interface, also for 2D graphics,
     usually residing between the implementation of GKS and the
     implementation of its graphics device drivers, but also useful
     independent of GKS.

CGM, the "Computer Graphics Metafile", is a standard for storing
     passive computer graphics display commands in a flat file from
     which they can be either transmitted offline to a hardcopy device,
     or reabsorbed online to continue a graphics design session, and is
     frequently used as an interface of last resort between shrink
     wrapped software packages for porting graphics files from one to
     another.

I wish I didn't have to admit that I spent most of my 4.5 years in
ANSI T.C. X3H3 working on the latter two standards (under the names
Virtual Device Interface and Virtual Device Metafile, but that's no
excuse), but such is the embarrassing truth.

Sorry for the extra bandwidth, but it's better not to leave such
confusion lying about in the trappings of expertise to capture the
unwary.

Sigh again.

Xanthian.
--
Kent, the man from xanth, Instant Onset Alzheimer's Poster Child of 1994.
Kent Paul Dolan, CSC contractor at Fleet Numerical.  (408) 656-4363.
(Navy Unix email:   )  (Navy cc:Mail email: )  (real world email:     )
<dolan AT fnoc DOT navy DOT mil>  <dolank AT fnoc DOT navy DOT mil>  <xanthian AT well DOT sf DOT ca DOT us>