Graphical Kernel System: a comparative evaluation

This thesis presents a comparison between Graphical Kernel System (GKS) - the proposed general purpose graphics standard and an existing package, namely Graphics Assistance Package (GAP), whose origins can be traced back to the late 1960s. In doing so, it illustrates the similarities between the two systems while examining the enhancements and new concepts incorporated into the proposed standard. The thesis firstly provides general overviews of the two graphics systems tracing their origins together with an outline of the key features of each system. This is then followed by the comparison which was conducted along the lines of the comparative criteria developed by the Graphics Standard Planning Committee (GSPC) established under the auspices of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH).