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author | Thomas Voss <mail@thomasvoss.com> | 2024-11-27 20:54:24 +0100 |
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committer | Thomas Voss <mail@thomasvoss.com> | 2024-11-27 20:54:24 +0100 |
commit | 4bfd864f10b68b71482b35c818559068ef8d5797 (patch) | |
tree | e3989f47a7994642eb325063d46e8f08ffa681dc /doc/rfc/rfc86.txt | |
parent | ea76e11061bda059ae9f9ad130a9895cc85607db (diff) |
doc: Add RFC documents
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/rfc/rfc86.txt')
-rw-r--r-- | doc/rfc/rfc86.txt | 324 |
1 files changed, 324 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/rfc/rfc86.txt b/doc/rfc/rfc86.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6067d8c --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/rfc/rfc86.txt @@ -0,0 +1,324 @@ + + + + + + +Network Working Group S. Crocker +Request for Comments #86 January 5, 1971 +NIC 5631 UCLA + + Proposal for a Network Standard Format + for a Data Stream to Control Graphics Display + + +A typical arrangement of facilities is to have a console attached to a + +computer at the user's site, and to be using the computational facilities + +of a remote site. Information entered by the user is transmitted to the + +remote Host, and output from the remote Host is transmitted back to the + +local user. In this proposal I am concerned with specifying the form of + +the output stream for the case that the output portion of the console is a + +typical refresh display with point, vector and character drawing capability. + +Devices in this class include the DEC 338, DEC 340, IBM 2250, and IMLAC + +PDS-1. + + + +It must be understood that this proposal is illustrative only, and knowingly + +avoids important issues. Its main purpose is to provide a basis for dis- + +cussion and development. + + + +In order to specify the semantices of the network standard graphics data + +stream (NGDS), I will postulate + + 1. a network standard display list (NGDL) + + 2. a network standard stream interpreter (NGSI) + + 3. a network standard list interpreter (NGLI), also called the + display controller, and + + 4. a network standard screen (NGS) + + + + [Page 1] + +The NGDS is accepted into the local Host and interpreted by the NGSI. The + +NGSI is a process which modifies the NGDL according to inputs in the NGDS. + +The NGDL is the display list for the NGLI; the NGLI executes the NGDL and + +controls the beam which writes on the NGS. + + + +The NGS is square, has horizontal and vertical sides, and positions on it + +are specified by an ordered pair of unsigned 16 bit fractions. The first + +fraction specifies the horizontal distance from the left hand edge, and + +the second specifies the vertical distance from the bottom edge. The + +resolution of the screen is unspecified. + + + +The lack of specification of the resolution of the NGS is intentional; + +programs designers should not interpret this to mean that they may impose + +a particular requirement on the using system. Thus the quality of the + +displayed picture should degrade gradually with decreasing resolution. + + + +The NGLI has primitives for moving the beam to a particular point, intensify- + +ing a point, drawing a vector, or drawing a character. Characters are + +assumed to be not more than .015 screen width wide, and not more than .025 + +screen height high. When the beam is moved to a screen position before + +drawing characters, that position should be at the lower left hand corner + +of the first character drawn. The beam position after drawing a character + +is immediately to the right of the character, properly positioned for another + +character. However, after drawing one or more characters, the exact horizontal + + + + + [Page 2] + +position of the beam is unspecified. + + + +The imprecise specification of character size is intended to take cognizance + +of the existance of character drawing hardware which is capable of producing + +only one or a few character sizes. The particular proportions of .015 wide + +by .025 high provides for 67 characters to a line and 40 lines, and seems + +well within the capability of most displays in the class considered. As in + +the case of screen resolution, variations in character drawing hardware + +should cause only minor degradation in the usefulness of the picture. + + + +The character set intrepreted by the NGLI is ASCII, excepting all form + +control characters, but including the space character. The tab, return + +and line feed functions should be simulated by explicit positioning of the + +beam. + + + +The NGDL consists of a set of named and possibly null lists. The names + +are 16 bit integers, and the name zero is the name of the chief list. + +Each list is composed of zero of more display items. An item is any of + +the following: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + [Page 3] + +a) "Move beam to xxxx,yyyy, relative to current origin" + + b) "Display vector from current position to xxxx,yyyy, relative to + current origin" + + c) "Display current point" + + d) "Display the following n characters: + + c c ...c " + 1 2 n + + e) "Execute list gggg with origin xxxx,yyyy relative to current origin" + + + +The NGLI is constantly in a loop executing the chief list, the origin of + +the chief list is always <0,0>. When the NGLI comes to the end of the + +chief list, it returns to the top of it. When the NGLI encounters a + +type e item, it suspends execution of the current list, set the new origin + +to <xxxx,yyyy> + <the old origin>, and executes the list named gggg. When + +finished with the list, the old origin is restored and execution of the + +old list resumed. The NGLI is, therefore, a recursive interpreter, and + +type e items are subroutine calls. + + + +There remains only the matter of the NGDS and the NGSI. The NGDS is parsed + +into commands by the NGSI and each command is executed as soon as it is + +recognized. The commands in the NGDS are in prefix form, consisting of an + +eight bit operation code followed by any arguments. Only two commands + +are defined: Erase and Replace. + + +The Erase command consists of a single zero-valued opcode and no arguments. + +The NGSI executes the Erase command by making all lists into null lists. + + + + [Page 4] + +This erases the screen. + + + +The Replace command has an opcode of 1, followed by a 16-bit list name, + +followed by an 8 bit subargument count, followed by the indicated number + +of subarguments. The NGSI executes the Replcae command by deleteing all + +items from the indicated list, and rebuilding the list from the subarguments. + +There are five kinds of subarguments, corresponding to the five item types. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + [Page 5] + +<subargument>::=<atype> | <btype> | <ctype> | + + <dtype> | <etype> + + + <atype>::= <a> <x> <y> + + <btype>::= <b> <x> <y> + + <ctype>::= <c> + + <dtype>::= <d> <n> <c> ... <c> + n + + <etype>::= <e> <g> <x> <y> + + + +<a>, <b>, <c>, <d>, and <e> are 8 bit bytes valued at 0, 1 ... 4, + +respectively and corresponging to the item types listed on page 4. + + + <x> and <y> are 16 bit numbers + + <g> is a 16 bit list name + + <n> is an 8 bit count + + <c> is an ASCII character code + + + + [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ] + [ into the online RFC archives by Anand Kumria 6/97 ] + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + [Page 6] + |