computer science

Graphical Kernel System

Graphical Kernel System is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Graphical Kernel System rather than just read about it. In short: The Graphical Kernel System (GKS) is a 2D computer graphics system using vector graphics, introduced in 1977. It was suitable for making line and bar charts and similar tasks.

Key takeaways

Graphical Kernel System belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Graphical Kernel System to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Graphical Kernel System from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Graphical Kernel System (GKS) is a 2D computer graphics system using vector graphics, introduced in 1977. It was suitable for making line and bar charts and similar tasks. A key concept was cross-system portability, based on an underlying coordinate system that could be represented on almost any hardware. GKS is best known as the basis for the graphics in the GEM GUI system used on the Atari ST and as part of Ventura Publisher. A draft international standard was circulated for review in September 1983. Final ratification of the standard was achieved in 1985, making it the first ISO graphics standard. A 3D system modelled on GKS was introduced as PHIGS, which saw some use in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Overview GKS provides a set of drawing features for two-dimensional vector graphics suitable for charting and similar duties. The calls are designed to be portable across different programming languages, graphics devices and hardware, so that applications written to use GKS will be readily portable to many platforms and devices. GKS was fairly common on computer workstations in the 1980s and early 1990s. GKS formed the basis of Digital Research's GSX which evolved into VDI, one of the core components of GEM. GEM was the native GUI on the Atari ST and was occasionally seen on PCs, particularly in conjunction with Ventura Publisher. GKS was little used commercially outside these markets, but remains in use in some scientific visualization packages. It is also the underlying API defining the Computer Graphics Metafile. One popular application based on an implementation of GKS is the GR Framework, a C library for high-performance scientific visualization that has become a common plotting backend among Julia users. A main developer and promoter of the GKS was José Luis Encarnação, formerly director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics (IGD) in Darmstadt, Germany. GKS has been standardized in the following documents:

ANSI standard ANSI X3.124 of 1985. ISO 7942:1985 standard, revised as ISO 7942:1985/Amd 1:1991 and ISO/IEC 7942-1:1994, as well as ISO/IEC 7942-2:1997, ISO/IEC 7942-3:1999 and ISO/IEC 7942-4:1998 The language bindings are ISO standard ISO 8651. GKS-3D (Graphical Kernel System for Three Dimensions) functional definition is ISO standard ISO 8805, and the corresponding C bindings are ISO/IEC 8806. The functionality of GKS is wrapped up as a data model standard in the STEP standard, section ISO 10303-46.

See also General Graphics Interface GSS-KERNEL IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) NAPLPS

References

Further reading Hopgood, F. R. A. (1983). Introduction to the Graphical Kernel System (GKS). London: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-355570-1. Laflin, Susan (August 1999). "The Graphical Kernel System". SEM307 Computer Graphics II. School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2007-02-18. Encarnação, José L.; Encarnação, L. M.; Herzner, Wolfgang R. (1987). Graphische Datenverarbeitung mit GKS (in German) (1 ed.). München / Wien: Carl Hanser Verlag. ISBN 3446149783. Bechlars, Jörg; Buhtz, Rainer (1994). GKS in der Praxis (in German) (2 ed.). Heidelberg: Springer Verlag. ISBN 3540567852. Fellner, Wolf-Dietrich (1992). Computergrafik (in German) (2 ed.). Mannheim: BI Wissenschaftsverlag. ISBN 3411151226. Gawehn, Wilfried (1991). Grafikprogrammierung mit C und GKS (in German). Mannheim: BI Wissenschaftsverlag. ISBN 3-411-14981-7.

External links Unofficial source of current implementation information GKS at FOLDOC

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Graphical Kernel System

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Graphical Kernel System claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Graphical Kernel System before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Graphical Kernel System ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Graphical Kernel System

In research: Graphical Kernel System appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Graphical Kernel System in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Graphical Kernel System is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Application programming interfaces, Computer graphics, Graphics standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Graphical Kernel System outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Graphical Kernel System in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Graphical Kernel System means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Graphical Kernel System out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Graphical Kernel System in simple terms?

The Graphical Kernel System (GKS) is a 2D computer graphics system using vector graphics, introduced in 1977. It was suitable for making line and bar charts and similar tasks.

Why does Graphical Kernel System matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Graphical Kernel System?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Graphical Kernel System.