GDDM
Encyclopedia
GDDM is a computer graphics
system for the IBM System/370
which was developed in IBM
's Hursley
lab, and first released in 1979. GDDM was originally designed to provide programming support for the IBM 3279 colour display terminal and the associated 3287 colour printer. The 3279 was the first colour graphics terminal that could be used in a general business environment.
GDDM was extended in the early 1980s to provide graphics support for all of IBM's display terminals and printers, and ran on all of IBM's mainframe operating systems.
GDDM also provided support for the (then current) international standards for interactive computer graphics: GKS and PHIGS
. Both GKS and PHIGS were designed around the requirements of CAD systems.
GDDM comprises a number of components:
GDDM remains in widespread use today, embedded in many z/OS
applications, as well as in System programs.
and Microsoft
began collaborating on the design of OS/2
in 1986 the Graphics Presentation Interface (GPI) which was the graphics API in Presentation Manager was based on IBM's GDDM and the Graphics Control Program (GCP). GCP was originally developed in Hursley for the 3270/PC-G and 3270/PC-GX terminals.
The GPI was used as the primary graphics API for the OS/2
operating system.
At the time (1980s), the graphical user interface
(GUI) was still in its early stages of popularity, but already it was clear that the foundation of a good GUI was a graphics API with strong real-time interactive capabilities. Unfortunately, the design of GDDM was closer to (at the time) traditional graphics APIs like GKS, which made it unsuited for more than the simplest interactive uses.
Microsoft and IBM went their separate ways in 1991. Microsoft continued development of its Windows
operating environment with Graphics Device Interface
(GDI) graphics API. IBM continued with OS/2 for several more years.
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
system for the IBM System/370
System/370
The IBM System/370 was a model range of IBM mainframes announced on June 30, 1970 as the successors to the System/360 family. The series maintained backward compatibility with the S/360, allowing an easy migration path for customers; this, plus improved performance, were the dominant themes of the...
which was developed in IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's Hursley
Hursley
Hursley is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England with a population of around 800 in 2005. It is located roughly mid-way between Romsey and Winchester on the A3090...
lab, and first released in 1979. GDDM was originally designed to provide programming support for the IBM 3279 colour display terminal and the associated 3287 colour printer. The 3279 was the first colour graphics terminal that could be used in a general business environment.
GDDM was extended in the early 1980s to provide graphics support for all of IBM's display terminals and printers, and ran on all of IBM's mainframe operating systems.
GDDM also provided support for the (then current) international standards for interactive computer graphics: GKS and PHIGS
PHIGS
PHIGS is an API standard for rendering 3D computer graphics, at one time considered to be the 3D graphics standard for the 1990s. Instead a combination of features and power led to the rise of OpenGL, which became the most popular professional 3D API of the 1990s...
. Both GKS and PHIGS were designed around the requirements of CAD systems.
GDDM comprises a number of components:
- Graphics primitives - lines, circles, boxes etc.
- Graphing - through the Presentation Graphics Feature (PGF)
- Language support - PL/I, REXX, COBOL etc.
- Conversion capabilities - for example to GIF format.
GDDM remains in widespread use today, embedded in many z/OS
Z/OS
z/OS is a 64-bit operating system for mainframe computers, produced by IBM. It derives from and is the successor to OS/390, which in turn followed a string of MVS versions.Starting with earliest:*OS/VS2 Release 2 through Release 3.8...
applications, as well as in System programs.
GDDM and OS/2 Presentation Manager
When IBMIBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
began collaborating on the design of OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
in 1986 the Graphics Presentation Interface (GPI) which was the graphics API in Presentation Manager was based on IBM's GDDM and the Graphics Control Program (GCP). GCP was originally developed in Hursley for the 3270/PC-G and 3270/PC-GX terminals.
The GPI was used as the primary graphics API for the OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
operating system.
At the time (1980s), the graphical user interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
(GUI) was still in its early stages of popularity, but already it was clear that the foundation of a good GUI was a graphics API with strong real-time interactive capabilities. Unfortunately, the design of GDDM was closer to (at the time) traditional graphics APIs like GKS, which made it unsuited for more than the simplest interactive uses.
Microsoft and IBM went their separate ways in 1991. Microsoft continued development of its Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating environment with Graphics Device Interface
Graphics Device Interface
The Graphics Device Interface is a Microsoft Windows application programming interface and core operating system component responsible for representing graphical objects and transmitting them to output devices such as monitors and printers....
(GDI) graphics API. IBM continued with OS/2 for several more years.
External links
- IBM's GDDM page, including links to on-line documentation.
- announcement of 3279 and 3287.