Ebook: CGM in the Real World

About two years ago, while attending yet another international standards meeting, a few of the meeting participants were discussing the utility and applicability of the standards we were designing. After all, if standards are not used, and used effectively, why are we spending all this time and money designing them? The ultimate test of the utility of computer standards is the number of implementations that are developed and the number of end-users that successfully use these within their own application. The number of implementations is related to the quality of a standard because vendors cannot produce correct implementations without clear, precise and unambiguous semantics within the standard. The number of users of implementations of the standards is an even greater measure of success of the standard because users will only purchase these implementations if they are useful for their applications. "How could we determine whether or not graphics standards are useful?" we asked ourselves. " Let's ask both implementors and users about the experiences they've had with our standards. Let them tell us about the successes and the problems as well. " Thus, an idea was born - the idea of a series of workshops, each one devoted to the usability of a different computer graphics standard. The only thing left to do in planning this workshop was to choose the appropriate standard to serve as the focus of the first workshop. There were only a few viable candidates.

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The Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) is an international standard for the storage of graphical data. The CGM can be used for storing pictures from a wide range of applications. A workshop was held at the National Bureau of Standards, Maryland, USA in September 1987 to discuss this newly adopted standard. The workshop brought together experts in the field. The papers presented included those from people who had been involved in developing the standard; those who were implementing it; those who were using it; those who could see future uses for this important standard; and those who may be involved in testing implementations. The book includes revised papers and records the discussions which resulted from them. This book presents a wealth of experience of the implementation and use of the CGM and supplies pointers to the future of standards work in this field. It is valuable information for implementors and users of the CGM and those involved in a consideration of testing.

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The Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) is an international standard for the storage of graphical data. The CGM can be used for storing pictures from a wide range of applications. A workshop was held at the National Bureau of Standards, Maryland, USA in September 1987 to discuss this newly adopted standard. The workshop brought together experts in the field. The papers presented included those from people who had been involved in developing the standard; those who were implementing it; those who were using it; those who could see future uses for this important standard; and those who may be involved in testing implementations. The book includes revised papers and records the discussions which resulted from them. This book presents a wealth of experience of the implementation and use of the CGM and supplies pointers to the future of standards work in this field. It is valuable information for implementors and users of the CGM and those involved in a consideration of testing.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-VIII
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Setting the Scene....Pages 3-9
Integrate ’88 - A Personal View....Pages 11-12
Front Matter....Pages 13-13
After Ten Years of Metafiles Where Does the CGM Fit?....Pages 15-22
The Use of the CGM in the U.K. University Community....Pages 23-27
The CGM Implementation at McDonnell Douglas....Pages 29-33
Front Matter....Pages 35-36
The Ramifications of Adopting the CGM as the Image Transfer Mechanism....Pages 37-45
The Implementation of the CGM as a GKS Metafile....Pages 47-74
Technical and Office Protocols (TOP) CGM Application Profile....Pages 75-93
The CGM Application Profile for CALS: Current Specification and Major Issues....Pages 95-109
Front Matter....Pages 111-112
Uses for CGM in Raster-to-Vector Conversion....Pages 113-143
Extending CGM for Publishing and Technical Drawing Exchange....Pages 145-170
The CGM in the Presentation Graphics World....Pages 171-174
Front Matter....Pages 175-176
Protocol Comparisons: CGM and Others....Pages 177-182
A Need for Character....Pages 183-187
Bridge that GAP (The CGM at the Real Applications Interface)....Pages 189-200
Front Matter....Pages 201-202
Testing of the Computer Graphics Metafile....Pages 203-216
An Overview of ODA and ODA Conformance Testing....Pages 217-229
AN NBS Conformance Testing Program: Ideas and Procedures for Graphics Testing....Pages 231-259
Front Matter....Pages 261-262
Technical Barriers to Interchange Using the CGM....Pages 263-265
Using the CGM Within Application Profiles....Pages 267-269
Front Matter....Pages 261-262
User Requirements....Pages 271-278
Testing....Pages 279-281
Errors in the CGM Standard....Pages 283-286
Back Matter....Pages 287-288

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The Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) is an international standard for the storage of graphical data. The CGM can be used for storing pictures from a wide range of applications. A workshop was held at the National Bureau of Standards, Maryland, USA in September 1987 to discuss this newly adopted standard. The workshop brought together experts in the field. The papers presented included those from people who had been involved in developing the standard; those who were implementing it; those who were using it; those who could see future uses for this important standard; and those who may be involved in testing implementations. The book includes revised papers and records the discussions which resulted from them. This book presents a wealth of experience of the implementation and use of the CGM and supplies pointers to the future of standards work in this field. It is valuable information for implementors and users of the CGM and those involved in a consideration of testing.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-VIII
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Setting the Scene....Pages 3-9
Integrate ’88 - A Personal View....Pages 11-12
Front Matter....Pages 13-13
After Ten Years of Metafiles Where Does the CGM Fit?....Pages 15-22
The Use of the CGM in the U.K. University Community....Pages 23-27
The CGM Implementation at McDonnell Douglas....Pages 29-33
Front Matter....Pages 35-36
The Ramifications of Adopting the CGM as the Image Transfer Mechanism....Pages 37-45
The Implementation of the CGM as a GKS Metafile....Pages 47-74
Technical and Office Protocols (TOP) CGM Application Profile....Pages 75-93
The CGM Application Profile for CALS: Current Specification and Major Issues....Pages 95-109
Front Matter....Pages 111-112
Uses for CGM in Raster-to-Vector Conversion....Pages 113-143
Extending CGM for Publishing and Technical Drawing Exchange....Pages 145-170
The CGM in the Presentation Graphics World....Pages 171-174
Front Matter....Pages 175-176
Protocol Comparisons: CGM and Others....Pages 177-182
A Need for Character....Pages 183-187
Bridge that GAP (The CGM at the Real Applications Interface)....Pages 189-200
Front Matter....Pages 201-202
Testing of the Computer Graphics Metafile....Pages 203-216
An Overview of ODA and ODA Conformance Testing....Pages 217-229
AN NBS Conformance Testing Program: Ideas and Procedures for Graphics Testing....Pages 231-259
Front Matter....Pages 261-262
Technical Barriers to Interchange Using the CGM....Pages 263-265
Using the CGM Within Application Profiles....Pages 267-269
Front Matter....Pages 261-262
User Requirements....Pages 271-278
Testing....Pages 279-281
Errors in the CGM Standard....Pages 283-286
Back Matter....Pages 287-288
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