John Bridges (software developer)
Encyclopedia
John Bridges is the co-author of the software program PCPaint
and primary developer of the program GRASP
for Microtex Industries with Doug Wolfgram. He is also the sole author of GLPro
and AfterGRASP. His article entitled "Differential Image Compression" was published in the February 1991 issue of Dr. Dobb's Journal
.
From 1981-85 Bridges wrote the RAM disk drivers, utilities, cracking software, task switching software, and memory test diagnostics for Abacus, a maker of large memory cards for the Apple II
.
In 1982, he started working for Classroom Consortia Media, Inc., an educational software company, developing and writing Apple and IBM graphics libraries and tools for their software. During his tenure there he created a drawing program called SuperDraw for CCM, and on his own wrote the core graphics code for what would later become PCPaint
, as well as develop the GRASP GL library format
.
with Doug Wolfgram for Mouse Systems
. PCPaint was the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program. The company purchased the exclusive rights to PCPaint, and John continued development until 1990.
. GRASP was originally released as shareware through Doug's company, Microtex Industries. However, version 2.0 and after were sold commercially by Paul Mace Software. Doug sold his shares of both PCPaint and GRASP to Bridges in 1990, and Bridges' work on GRASP continued through 1994, when he terminated the contract with Paul Mace Software. Bridges' work on GRASP included several toolsets and add-ons, such as Pictor Paint
, ARTools, HRFE (High Res Flic Enhancement), and PC Speaker sound code that caused Paul Mace Software to be threatened with a lawsuit by RealSound because of the use of frequency modulation, upon which RealSound held a patent.
A stripped-down version of GRASP 4.0 was also included with copies of Philip Shaddock's Multimedia Creations: Hands-On Workshop for Exploring Animation and Sound.
pixel data to video memory over the bus in graphics modes." VIDSPEED was well-received in the community and was recommended in at least two books, Patrick Killelea
's Web Performance Tuning and Stephen J. Bigelow's Bigelow's Computer Repair Toolkit, though Bigelow expresses concern over support and updates.
Multimedia Lab which played back full color
video in a 1/4 size window on the new IBM Model 30 (8 MHz 8086 CPU) which had the new MCGA
320x200 256-color video mode. Not only did it play full color video at such
an early date in DOS history, but it did so smoothly on the slowest, most low-end IBM PS/2 model ever sold. IBM applied for a patent on algorithms he
developed, though it was filed under the name of the project manager at IBM.
Those same algorithms were later published in an article by Bridges entitled "Differential Image Compression", which first appeared in Dr. Dobb's Journal
in February 1991. It was later reprinted in that same magazine in July 2001 along with James H. Sylvester's 1993 article "Differential Compression Algorithms", which adapts Bridges' algorithms to generalized data, not just graphics.
. PICEM became popular enough that Microsoft offered tech help in using it in conjunction with QuickBasic
.
library for accessing extended graphics modes from DOS, which was not standardized before VESA VBE arrived. It was used in several open and closed source projects. The developer of UniVBE
, a program that extended video cards' BIOS to become compatible with the new VESA VBE, said that Bridges "provided the information without which [UniVBE] would never have gotten started. The whole PC graphics community is deeply in his debt."
Author Michael Abrash
, in his 1997 book Graphics Programming Black Book, says "Little other than my DDJ (Dr. Dobb's Journal
) columns has been published about (Mode X
), although Bridges has widely distributed his code for a number of undocumented 256-color resolutions, and I’d like to acknowledge the influence of his code on the mode set routine presented in [Chapter 47]." The codes to which Abrash refers are Mode X 360x480 256-color mode codes Bridges included with VGAKIT, and worked on any VGA, not just SVGAs. Abrash's DDJ articles were published circa 1991 before being compiled into GPBB.
. Version 4.0 included Bridges' ARTOOLS, which was a collection of image manipulation tools which included an early morphing utility that tracked all points in source and destination images, creating all the in-between frames.
for IMS as the newest incarnation of Bridges' ideas behind GRASP updated for Windows
. In 2000 GLPro became property of GMedia PLC, which closed in 2001. Bridges stopped all GLPro work at that time.
A stripped down version of GLPro was included with Conrad R. Brandt's book GLPRO Foundations 2000.
is an image file format developed by Bridges for PCPaint
. It was also the native file format for GRASP, and GLPro
and was the first widely accepted DOS
imaging standard.
PCPaint
PCPaint was the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program . It was developed by John Bridges and Doug Wolfgram.The hardware manufacturer Mouse Systems bundled PCPaint with millions of computer mice that they sold, making PCPaint also the best-selling MS-DOS-based paint program of the late...
and primary developer of the program GRASP
GRaphics Animation System for Professionals
- GRASP - GRAphical System for Presentation :GRASP was the first multimedia animation program for the IBM PC "Family ofComputers". It was also at one time the most widely used animation format....
for Microtex Industries with Doug Wolfgram. He is also the sole author of GLPro
GLPro
GLPro is a multimedia authoring application for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. GLPro is a contraction of Graphics Language Professional, and was written by John Bridges. GLPro was originally a MS-DOS program released in 1995, written as successor to GRASP, also written by Bridges and marketed by...
and AfterGRASP. His article entitled "Differential Image Compression" was published in the February 1991 issue of Dr. Dobb's Journal
Dr. Dobb's Journal
Dr. Dobb's Journal was a monthly journal published in the United States by CMP Technology. It covered topics aimed at computer programmers. DDJ was the first regular periodical focused on microcomputer software, rather than hardware. It later became a monthly section within the periodical...
.
Early work
In 1980 Bridges started his programming career at the NYU Institute for Reconstructive Plastic Surgery as a summer intern, working with sophisticated programmable vector graphics systems. He wrote editing tools and also updated and debugged software used for early 3D x-ray scanning research.From 1981-85 Bridges wrote the RAM disk drivers, utilities, cracking software, task switching software, and memory test diagnostics for Abacus, a maker of large memory cards for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
.
In 1982, he started working for Classroom Consortia Media, Inc., an educational software company, developing and writing Apple and IBM graphics libraries and tools for their software. During his tenure there he created a drawing program called SuperDraw for CCM, and on his own wrote the core graphics code for what would later become PCPaint
PCPaint
PCPaint was the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program . It was developed by John Bridges and Doug Wolfgram.The hardware manufacturer Mouse Systems bundled PCPaint with millions of computer mice that they sold, making PCPaint also the best-selling MS-DOS-based paint program of the late...
, as well as develop the GRASP GL library format
GRASP GL library format
The GL library format is a self-contained animation library used by the GRASP GRaphical System for Presentation to store scripts, pictures, and all the commands needed for a GRASP animation....
.
PCPaint
In 1984, Bridges developed the first version of PCPaintPCPaint
PCPaint was the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program . It was developed by John Bridges and Doug Wolfgram.The hardware manufacturer Mouse Systems bundled PCPaint with millions of computer mice that they sold, making PCPaint also the best-selling MS-DOS-based paint program of the late...
with Doug Wolfgram for Mouse Systems
Mouse Systems
Mouse Systems Corporation, formerly Rodent Associates, was founded in 1982 by Steve Kirsch, inventor of the optical mouse. In addition to being a vehicle for Kirsch's invention, the company was responsible for bringing the mouse to the IBM PC for the first time.Like all early optical mice, their...
. PCPaint was the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program. The company purchased the exclusive rights to PCPaint, and John continued development until 1990.
GRASP
In 1985, Bridges' PCPaint code and Doug's slideshow program morphed into a new program, GRASP. GRASP was the first multimedia animation program for the IBM PC and created the GRASP GL library formatGRASP GL library format
The GL library format is a self-contained animation library used by the GRASP GRaphical System for Presentation to store scripts, pictures, and all the commands needed for a GRASP animation....
. GRASP was originally released as shareware through Doug's company, Microtex Industries. However, version 2.0 and after were sold commercially by Paul Mace Software. Doug sold his shares of both PCPaint and GRASP to Bridges in 1990, and Bridges' work on GRASP continued through 1994, when he terminated the contract with Paul Mace Software. Bridges' work on GRASP included several toolsets and add-ons, such as Pictor Paint
Pictor Paint
Pictor Paint was an improved version of PCPaint, the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program. It was written by John Bridges, the primary author of PCPaint, and bundled with GRASP GRaphical System for Presentation also written by John Bridges...
, ARTools, HRFE (High Res Flic Enhancement), and PC Speaker sound code that caused Paul Mace Software to be threatened with a lawsuit by RealSound because of the use of frequency modulation, upon which RealSound held a patent.
A stripped-down version of GRASP 4.0 was also included with copies of Philip Shaddock's Multimedia Creations: Hands-On Workshop for Exploring Animation and Sound.
VIDSPEED
In 1987, Bridges released VIDSPEED, a freeware program that tests the speed of graphics cards by "[measuring] the throughput of writing constantpixel data to video memory over the bus in graphics modes." VIDSPEED was well-received in the community and was recommended in at least two books, Patrick Killelea
Killelea
Killelea is an Irish surname found originally in County Galway, documented from Elizabethan times at least. The current spelling is an Anglicization of an older Irish Gaelic form, probably Mac Giolla Leigh or Mac Giolla Leith...
's Web Performance Tuning and Stephen J. Bigelow's Bigelow's Computer Repair Toolkit, though Bigelow expresses concern over support and updates.
IBM Project
In 1986-87 Bridges authored a project for the 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...
Multimedia Lab which played back full color
video in a 1/4 size window on the new IBM Model 30 (8 MHz 8086 CPU) which had the new MCGA
MCGA
MCGA may refer to*IBM Multicolor Graphics Array*Maritime and Coastguard Agency, in the United Kingdom...
320x200 256-color video mode. Not only did it play full color video at such
an early date in DOS history, but it did so smoothly on the slowest, most low-end IBM PS/2 model ever sold. IBM applied for a patent on algorithms he
developed, though it was filed under the name of the project manager at IBM.
Those same algorithms were later published in an article by Bridges entitled "Differential Image Compression", which first appeared in Dr. Dobb's Journal
Dr. Dobb's Journal
Dr. Dobb's Journal was a monthly journal published in the United States by CMP Technology. It covered topics aimed at computer programmers. DDJ was the first regular periodical focused on microcomputer software, rather than hardware. It later became a monthly section within the periodical...
in February 1991. It was later reprinted in that same magazine in July 2001 along with James H. Sylvester's 1993 article "Differential Compression Algorithms", which adapts Bridges' algorithms to generalized data, not just graphics.
IMAGETOOLS
Out of the IBM Project came IMAGETOOLS in 1987, a collection of high color (15bit, 24bit, 32bit) VGA/EGA image conversion and scaling tools. It was sold by MetaCreations Corp./Harvard Systems Corp (HSC Software).PICEM
In 1988, Bridges authored a freeware image viewer program called PICEM. Other image viewers at the time were commercial. PICEM also allowed the user to adjust images' brightness and contrast and to save the image being viewed to other formats including the BSAVE (graphics image format)BSAVE (graphics image format)
A BSAVE Image as it is referenced in a graphics program is an image file format created usually by saving raw video memory to disk ....
. PICEM became popular enough that Microsoft offered tech help in using it in conjunction with QuickBasic
QuickBASIC
Microsoft QuickBASIC is an Integrated Development Environment and compiler for the BASIC programming language that was developed by Microsoft. QuickBASIC runs mainly on DOS, though there was a short-lived version for Mac OS...
.
VGAKIT
Also in 1988, Bridges released VGAKIT, the VGAKIT SVGA Programming Kit, as freeware. VGAKIT is an open sourceOpen source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
library for accessing extended graphics modes from DOS, which was not standardized before VESA VBE arrived. It was used in several open and closed source projects. The developer of UniVBE
UniVBE
UniVBE is a software driver that allows DOS applications written to the VESA BIOS standard to run on almost any display device made in the last 15 years or so....
, a program that extended video cards' BIOS to become compatible with the new VESA VBE, said that Bridges "provided the information without which [UniVBE] would never have gotten started. The whole PC graphics community is deeply in his debt."
Author Michael Abrash
Michael Abrash
Michael Abrash is a technical writer specializing in optimization and 80x86 assembly language programming, a reputation cemented by his 1990 book Zen of Assembly Language Volume 1: Knowledge. The original 8086 processor, the focus of the book, was several generations behind the state of the art by...
, in his 1997 book Graphics Programming Black Book, says "Little other than my DDJ (Dr. Dobb's Journal
Dr. Dobb's Journal
Dr. Dobb's Journal was a monthly journal published in the United States by CMP Technology. It covered topics aimed at computer programmers. DDJ was the first regular periodical focused on microcomputer software, rather than hardware. It later became a monthly section within the periodical...
) columns has been published about (Mode X
Mode X
Mode X is an alternative video graphics display mode of the IBM VGA graphics hardware that was popularized by Michael Abrash, first published in July 1991 in Dr...
), although Bridges has widely distributed his code for a number of undocumented 256-color resolutions, and I’d like to acknowledge the influence of his code on the mode set routine presented in [Chapter 47]." The codes to which Abrash refers are Mode X 360x480 256-color mode codes Bridges included with VGAKIT, and worked on any VGA, not just SVGAs. Abrash's DDJ articles were published circa 1991 before being compiled into GPBB.
Pictor Paint and ARTOOLS
When GRASP 3.5 was released, it included Bridges' newest version of PCPaint, Pictor PaintPictor Paint
Pictor Paint was an improved version of PCPaint, the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program. It was written by John Bridges, the primary author of PCPaint, and bundled with GRASP GRaphical System for Presentation also written by John Bridges...
. Version 4.0 included Bridges' ARTOOLS, which was a collection of image manipulation tools which included an early morphing utility that tracked all points in source and destination images, creating all the in-between frames.
GLPro
In 1995, Bridges created GLProGLPro
GLPro is a multimedia authoring application for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. GLPro is a contraction of Graphics Language Professional, and was written by John Bridges. GLPro was originally a MS-DOS program released in 1995, written as successor to GRASP, also written by Bridges and marketed by...
for IMS as the newest incarnation of Bridges' ideas behind GRASP updated for 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...
. In 2000 GLPro became property of GMedia PLC, which closed in 2001. Bridges stopped all GLPro work at that time.
A stripped down version of GLPro was included with Conrad R. Brandt's book GLPRO Foundations 2000.
AfterGRASP
In 2002, Bridges started work on a new program, AfterGRASP, designed to be backwards compatible with GLPro. Work is still continuing on that project.Pictor PIC image format
The PICtor PIC image formatPICtor PIC image format
PICtor is an image file format developed by John Bridges, the principal author of PCPaint, the first Paintbrush program for the PC. It was also the native file format for Pictor Paint and GRASP and became the first widely accepted DOS imaging standard.-Typical file format:The PICtor format is a...
is an image file format developed by Bridges for PCPaint
PCPaint
PCPaint was the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program . It was developed by John Bridges and Doug Wolfgram.The hardware manufacturer Mouse Systems bundled PCPaint with millions of computer mice that they sold, making PCPaint also the best-selling MS-DOS-based paint program of the late...
. It was also the native file format for GRASP, and GLPro
GLPro
GLPro is a multimedia authoring application for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. GLPro is a contraction of Graphics Language Professional, and was written by John Bridges. GLPro was originally a MS-DOS program released in 1995, written as successor to GRASP, also written by Bridges and marketed by...
and was the first widely accepted DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
imaging standard.
See also
- PCPaintPCPaintPCPaint was the first IBM PC-based mouse driven GUI paint program . It was developed by John Bridges and Doug Wolfgram.The hardware manufacturer Mouse Systems bundled PCPaint with millions of computer mice that they sold, making PCPaint also the best-selling MS-DOS-based paint program of the late...
- PICtor PIC image formatPICtor PIC image formatPICtor is an image file format developed by John Bridges, the principal author of PCPaint, the first Paintbrush program for the PC. It was also the native file format for Pictor Paint and GRASP and became the first widely accepted DOS imaging standard.-Typical file format:The PICtor format is a...
- GRASPGRaphics Animation System for Professionals- GRASP - GRAphical System for Presentation :GRASP was the first multimedia animation program for the IBM PC "Family ofComputers". It was also at one time the most widely used animation format....
- GRASP GL library formatGRASP GL library formatThe GL library format is a self-contained animation library used by the GRASP GRaphical System for Presentation to store scripts, pictures, and all the commands needed for a GRASP animation....
- GLProGLProGLPro is a multimedia authoring application for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. GLPro is a contraction of Graphics Language Professional, and was written by John Bridges. GLPro was originally a MS-DOS program released in 1995, written as successor to GRASP, also written by Bridges and marketed by...