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CGI Graphics in Dyalog APL

Pete Donnelly (Dyadic Systems); notes by Adrian Smith

Vector 4:1, page 59

graphics implementations

Transcribed from the printed issue; not yet reviewed. Read it in the PDF of the issue, page 59

No-one could disagree about the need for a graphics standard; up to a couple of years ago GKS (UK/Germany) ruled unchallenged; ‘Computer Graphics Interface’ is the newer American version (shades of NIH!).

Its main advantage is that it will handle bit-mapped displays, and that (being American) it is rapidly swamping the opposition. Dyalog are building a CGI interface for workstations such as the Sun, Apollo, RT-6150 and so on. This will handle pretty well any device, and does all the usual things:

  • polylines, markers and filled areas.
  • text (cursor, graphics and high-quality word processing) mixed in a single display.
  • multiple pages, and block copy of pixels (handy for windows!).

Pete was just nicely getting into his stride, showing us how to run more than one APL session from the same terminal, when disaster struck the Video projector, and he hastily swopped out in favour of . . . . .