RFC 126

RFC 126: Ames Graphics Facilities at Ames Research Center ✨

okay bestie, let's do the title block first 🎀 This is RFC 126 from the Network Working Group, written by John McConnell at Ames Research Center. It's Category D.6 and dated April 1971 🦋 Nothing here says it obsoletes or updates any other RFC, so no drama there 💅

okay so this note is a response to an RFC that asked nodes to describe their graphics environment 🌸 John's giving us the lineup of graphics facilities at Ames for the IBM 360/67 TSS 👑

1. An SC 4020 off line microfilm system. 🎞️
2. Calcomp plotters. 📈
3. ARDS storage tube CRTs. 📺
4. IMLAC PDS-1 refresh CRTs. ✨
5. One IBM 2250 CRT. 💖

coming soon 🔥 the devices that'll be in use in the near future are:

1. An Evans and Sutherland LDS-2 system. 🚀
2. Hazeltine alphanumeric CRTs. 🍓

the devices are kinda all over the place, and the software support from the manufacturers varies a lot, so work has been done on a device independent package 🧚 it's still being implemented, ngl. the basic entity is a device independent intermediate language that describes the picture to be displayed. when a device gets selected, that intermediate language gets converted into the device's specific orders ✨

other features include defining and storing subpictures so you can build more complex pictures later 🧩 and an interface has been specified so graphic data sets can be sent to other installations on the TSS network 🌈

note to the ILLIAC IV crew 💜 when it becomes a functioning node at Ames, John wants to know about the graphics environment at your sites and any thoughts you have on how you'll be using graphics with the ILLIAC IV 🙈

[ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ] [ into the online RFC archives by Andrew Crawford 4/97 ]