RFC 398

UCSB OnLine Graphics 💖

okay bestie, let's start with the title block 🎀

• Number: NWG/RFC #398 🦋
• Authors: John R. Pickens (UCSB Online Graphics) and Edward D. Faeh (UCSB) 👑
• NIC number: 11911 🌸
• Date: 22 Sept 72 📅
• Category/status: not stated in this document 🤷‍♀️
• Obsoletes/Updates: this document doesn't list anything it obsoletes or updates ✨

rn, if you've got a TEKTRONIX or IMLAC terminal, or a system that supports the proposed level 0 graphics protocol, you can totally get into UCSB graphics 🖥️💅. Here are the ICP sockets for the terminals and protocols that are supported right now. If you have detailed questions or run into problems with a specific protocol, go talk to Ed Faeh at 805-961-4047 📞🫶

   Socket                       Supports

   x'701'               IMLAC with special software designed
                        by Jerry Powell (MITRE Corp.).
                        Graphics is sent over a simplex
                        connection to the IMLAC.  Alphanumerics
                        are sent over a TELNET-like connection
                        to a separate device.  The IMLAC
                        software can be loaded from MIT-DMCG.

   x'703'               IMLAC with 80x80 display grid
                        and Standard Text and Edit Package.
                        Some IMLACs have a 64x64 display grid.
                        Therefore, the choice may be made in
                        the near future to format the
                        graphics output from this connection
                        for the smaller grid resolution so
                        that both terminal types may be handled.
                        Display resolution is limited with
                        this terminal configuration as
                        normal UCSB terminals have 1024x1024
                        grid.  Nevertheless, meaningful
                        displays are obtained even at the
                        lower resolutions.

   x'705'               Current Level 0 graphics protocol.

   x'707'               Same as x'701' but with special
                        UCSB online keyboard as input.
                        This configuration averts the
                        necessity of spelling out online
                        operators.

   x'709'               Same as x'705' but with special
                        UCSB online keyboard as input.

NWG/RFC# 398                        JRP EDF 22-SEP-72 16:25  11911
UCSB OnLine Graphics


   x'801'               TEKTRONIX terminals.  Models 4002-A
                        4010, and T-4002 have been tested
                        successfully.  Presumably all other
                        4002 compatible terminals will also work.

okay so the big problem the network user center is going to hit is display formatting 😭. For historical reasons (aka there was only one type of terminal in house 🙈), the system never got a way to do terminal-independent random positioning of alphanumeric output. So a program that draws and labels a graph super neatly on one terminal might label like a kindergartener on other terminals 🖍️💀. Still, you can minimize this with careful programming, and people are working on giving at least minimal alphanumeric device independence 🌈✨.

Heads up: a graph that looks iconic on one terminal may look chaotic on another, so test on more than one if you can 💅

if you want to experiment with online graphics, reach out to John Pickens (805-961-3454), Glen Davis (805-961-2462), or Mark Krilonovich (805-961-3454) 🧚. They are obsessed with feedback, so suggestions and criticisms of all aspects of the UCSB OnLine - Network User interface are very much wanted 🫶💜

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