| Graphical Kernel System | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | GKS |
| Year started | 1977; 48 years ago (1977) |
| Latest version | ISO/IEC 7942-4:1998 1998; 27 years ago (1998) |
| Organization | ANSI,ISO,IEC |
| Related standards | ANSI X3.124, ISO 8651, ISO 8805, ISO/IEC 8806,ISO 10303 |
| Domain | Computer graphics |
TheGraphical Kernel System (GKS) is a2D computer graphics system usingvector 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 theGEMGUI system used on theAtari ST and as part ofVentura Publisher.
A draft international standard was circulated for review in September 1983.[1][2][3] Final ratification of the standard was achieved in 1985, making it the firstISO graphics standard.[4][5]
A3D system modelled on GKS was introduced asPHIGS, which saw some use in the 1980s and early 1990s.
GKS provides a set of drawing features for two-dimensionalvector graphics suitable for charting and similar duties. The calls are designed to be portable across differentprogramming 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 computerworkstations in the 1980s and early 1990s.[6] GKS formed the basis ofDigital Research'sGSX which evolved into VDI, one of the core components ofGEM. GEM was the native GUI on theAtari ST and was occasionally seen on PCs, particularly in conjunction withVentura Publisher. GKS was little used commercially outside these markets, but remains in use in some scientific visualization packages. It is also the underlyingAPI defining theComputer Graphics Metafile. One popular application based on an implementation of GKS is the GR Framework,[7] a C library for high-performance scientific visualization that has become a common plotting backend amongJulia users.
A main developer and promoter of the GKS wasJosé Luis Encarnação, formerly director of theFraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics (IGD) inDarmstadt,Germany.
GKS has been standardized in the following documents:[8][9]
The functionality of GKS is wrapped up as a data model standard in the STEP standard, sectionISO 10303-46.
