rfc292.txt

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Network Working Group                                     12 January 1972
Request for Comment: 292                                Jim Michener, MAC
NIC 8302                                                Ira Cotton, MITRE
References: 282, 285                              Karl Kelley, U. of Ill.
Updates: None                                     Dave Liddle, Owens Ill.
Obsoletes: None                                             Ed Meyer, MAC


                   GRAPHICS PROTOCOL - LEVEL 0 ONLY

INTRODUCTION

   This document reflects opinions expressed and decisions reached at
   the second meeting of the Network Graphics Group, held at the
   Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in late November 1971.
   It describes part of a proposed Network Standard Graphics Protocol
   for transmitting graphics data within the ARPA network.  The
   particular aspects of the protocol covered in this document relate to
   the form and content of graphics information sent from a source of
   graphical information (an application program, say, in the "Serving
   Host") to a display package for output to a graphics console (at the
   "Using Host").  This will take the form of a sequence of 8-bit bytes,
   and will be called the graphics output byte stream.  In particular,
   only the simplest forms of graphics data will be covered in this, the
   first version of this document.  The next version, already in
   preparation, will be much more complete.  In any case this is not
   intended to describe a finished protocol; rather it should serve as a
   basis for graphics experimentation on the network.

   This document does not include form or content of graphics input
   (data sent from the Using Host to the Serving Host) nor does it cover
   how the connection is established between the hosts.  A proposal for
   the former will be generated eventually by this committee; the latter
   is the job of the Connection Committee (of the Network Graphics
   Group).

   This RFC describes the commands which are available in the protocol
   in terms of the effect they would have at the receiving (Using Host)
   end.  Clearly, some subroutine package is desirable at the Serving
   Host for use by applications package in transmitting graphics data,
   but on this topic this RFC does not intend to comment.

   It may be observed by the reader that no facility is specified in
   this protocol allowing the Using Host to report logical errors in the
   graphics output byte stream to the Serving Host.  Such a facility
   would have to be intergrated with the graphics _input_ byte stream,
   since it involves most of the problems related to synchrony of
   independent hosts.



Michener                                                        [Page 1]

RFC 292                Graphics Protocol Level 0            January 1972


BACKGROUND

   The reader should probably peruse RFC 282: "Graphics Meeting Report"
   by Mike Padlipsky to obtain some of the framework surrounding this
   discussion of network graphics.  Also it might be valuable to make
   note of the model described in RFC 285: "Network Graphics" by Donald
   Huff.

LEVEL AND GROUND RULES PERTAINING THERETO

   Functions within the graphics protocol will be classified into a
   number of levels depending partly on how difficult it is to implement
   those functions.  It is intended that any host which claims to
   implement the functions of level N must implement all lower levels as
   well.  Thus, it is envisioned that sites will implement levels
   incremently.  Implementations will be improved as a continuing
   process to include more and more functions, and it is intended that
   each implementation will be able to identify its own level to a
   graphics protocol at a remote site which is requesting a graphics
   interchange.  A side result is that each site will be able to
   determine its own priorities in committing programmers to the
   graphics protocol as opposed to other efforts.

   It is also our intention that implementation of level N will require
   no knowledge of level N+1.  Thus a site can implement a level in the
   (reasonably) firm knowledge that no changes at higher levels will
   alter the level implemented.  At some time it may be decided by the
   Network Graphics Group to redefine a level which has previously been
   firmed up.  It is not our intention that this shall happen but one
   must recognize that the proposed Graphics Protocol is experimental
   and may have to be changed.

   One further ground rule:  a stream of commands and data which is
   valid at a given level, K, shall produce "identical" results on any
   interpreter of level K or higher.  By this we mean that as defined
   operations, similar pictures should result.  Aspects of the protocol
   which are not strictly defined (at this time) include character size,
   character position relative to the beam, how control characters in
   text output affect the terminal and what happens when the beam is
   moved or a line drawn outside of the logical screen boundary.  This
   rule forces upwards compatibility, so that an application written
   using features of low numbered level will still work at sites which
   have moved on to implement higher levels.  Additionally, any aspects
   of this protocol which are explicitly "left unspecified" in the
   detailed operations descriptions below _shall_ be explicitly
   specified in any public description of an actual implementation.

   We now describe the framework which will be common to all levels.



Michener                                                        [Page 2]

RFC 292                Graphics Protocol Level 0            January 1972


BASIC DATA FORMS

   Information in the Network Standard Graphics Protocol will be
   expressed as a sequence of 8-bit bytes.  A command will consist of a
   command byte followed by zero or more arguments.  The same command
   byte will always take the same number of arguments in the same form.
   The length of each argument may be fixed or variable depending on the
   argument.

   A simple type of argument is a "value," which is an 8-bit integer.
   Another type of argument is a "string" which is a count followed by
   (count)number of 8-bit bytes.  If the count is between 0 and 127, it
   is sent in a single byte.  If the count is between 128 and 2**15-1
   (** means exponentiation), it is sent in two bytes with the high
   order bit of the first byte set to one.  The first byte contains the
   seven high order bits of the number, and the second byte contains the
   eight low order bits.  A string is the only type of argument of a
   command which can vary in length.

   Coordinate data engendered considerable discussion at the second
   Network Graphics Group meeting.  It was decided that a two-
   dimensional Logical Coordinate System was required, and each
   interpreter for the graphic command byte stream would be responsible
   for mapping this coordinate system to physical device coordinates.
   It was decided that data in the logical coordinate system would be in
   twos-complement notation, that it would be fractional, that each edge
   of the screen would have unit length, and that the origin would
   correspond to the center of the screen on the output device.  The
   vertical (horizontal) edges of the screen of the  output device
   correspond to the lines X (Y) = -1/2 or X=+1/2-e where e is a small
   positive number determined by the precision of the fractional data.
   Particularly the points (-1/2,-1/2) (-1/2,1/2-e), (1/2-e, -1/2) and
   (1/2-e, 1/2-e) shall be visible points at the corners of the logical
   screen.  (In the case of a non-square display surface, the
   implementer may make his own decision, but it is recommended that the
   largest possible _square_ area be utilized.)  Thus we shall say that
   the Logical Coordinate System contains points whose coordinates range
   from -1/2 to a little less than +1/2.

   Commands which take coordinate data will be available in various
   modes.  In absolute mode, a position is specified by giving its
   coordinates in the Logical Coordinate System.  In relative mode, the
   _difference_ between the coordinates of the position and the
   coordinates of the current position must be specified.  Thus a







Michener                                                        [Page 3]

RFC 292                Graphics Protocol Level 0            January 1972


   coordinate datum which is an argument for an absolute mode operation
   should be in the range -1/2 to +1/2-e, while one for a relative mode
   operation should be in the range -1+e to +1-e.

   Interest was expressed at the second Graphics Group Meeting in
   eventually allowing a very large coordinate space (many bits of
   precision in each fractional coordinate).  This is to be done by
   permitting the length, in 8-bit bytes, of each coordinate datum to be
   set (as a mode).  It was decided at the meeting that two bytes per
   coordinate would suffice for now.  Thus "e" in the above discussion
   is 2**(15) (one in the least significant bit of a 15-bit plus sign
   fractional coordinate).

   Text data will be transmitted as an argument of various commands for
   display on the output device.  Network ASCII will be used to
   represent characters.  At the lowest-levels of the protocol only one
   character size will be available -- whatever is "normal" on the
   display device.  If the device had no "normal" size, 72 characters
   per line would be desirable.  Later, variable character size may be
   introduced.

   Also, at the lowest levels, control characters will be passed along
   to the device for it to do the best it can.  However, the consensus
   of the graphics meeting was that at some reasonably low (but non-
   zero) level carriage return, line feed, and backspace should be
   interpreted to do the right thing.

COMMAND CODES

   Each command in the graphics protocol will be assigned a non-negative
   value which will represent this command in the byte stream.  The
   algorithm whereby values and commands are associated is, it turns
   out, a very touchy subject.  There are five or ten different criteria
   for a "best" algorithm, each criterion different in emphasis.  This
   Gordian knot will be cut, in this proposal, by ordering the commands
   approximately according to level, and then just numbering them.  In
   addition, if several closely related commands occur at the same
   level, some attempt will be made to encode variations of meanings in
   terms of bit configurations.  Even if some later consideration causes
   a change in ordering to be proposed, it is this committee's feeling
   that the numbering should not be altered.  However, until this matter
   is firmly settled, it is strongly advised that any implementation
   take into account the possibility of reassignment of command codes.








Michener                                                        [Page 4]

RFC 292                Graphics Protocol Level 0            January 1972


PARTICULAR PROPOSAL FOR LEVEL 0 PROTOCOL

   It is proposed that level 0 be kept very simple.  This is so that
   implementation can be quickly accomplished and experimentation with
   the protocol begun.  Another reason is that the least powerful hosts
   and even programmable terminals should be able to implement it.  In
   accordance with this, the "rule" was made that a command be
   implemented only if the output is a function solely of the current
   command and the "beam position" current at the start of the command.
   In other words the interpreter for level 0 need have no internal
   storage for "modes" or pushdown stacks.  With this restriction it is
   hoped that a very simple implementation will be possible for level 0.
   In particular, perhaps one could eventually build a hardware
   translator from level 0 code to one's own particular terminal's code.

   Note that in the opcode assignment for level 0, bits 4, 2, and 1 have
   special meaning for the move, line and dot commands.  In particular,
   the 1 bit encodes absolute versus relative data mode, the 4 bit
   encodes whether any visible output occurs, and the 2 bit determines
   whether the visible output is a line or a dot.

LEVEL 0: COMMAND SUMMARY

   The following is a list of commands (and their syntax)in level zero.
   Detailed descriptions of these commands follow in the next section.
   Commands dealing with protocol may be added by the Connection
   Committee.  (They currently request opcodes in the range 128 to 255.)

   (As described in Basic Data Forms, above, <x>, <y>, <x delta> and <y
   delta> are two-byte coordinate values,  <string> is a count followed
   by (count) many bytes and <value> is an eight bit number.)

   Decimal    Octal        Binary        Format

   0             0         00000000   Null
   1             1         00000001   Erase screen and reset beam
   2             2         00000010   Move Absolute <x> <y>
   3             3         00000011   Move Relative <x> <y>
   4             4         00000100   Draw Absolute <x> <y>
   5             5         00000101   Draw Relative <x delta> <y delta>
   6             8         00000110   Dot Absolute <x> <y>
   7             7         00000111   Dot Relative <x delta> <y delta>
   8            10         00001000   Text <string>
   9            11         00001001   TextR <string>
   10           12         00001010   End of Picture
   11           13         00001011   Escape <value> <string>





Michener                                                        [Page 5]