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{{Short description|First ISO standard for low-level computer graphics}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox standardref
| title = Graphical Kernel System
| status =
| year_started = {{Start date and age|1977}}
| version = ISO/IEC 7942-4:1998
| versionDate = {{Start date and age|1998}}
| organization = [[American National Standards Institute|ANSI]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], [[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]]
| related_standards = ANSI X3.124, ISO 8651, ISO 8805, ISO/IEC 8806, [[ISO 10303]]
| abbreviation = GKS
| domain = [[Computer graphics]]
| website =
}}
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 [[Graphics Environment Manager|GEM]] [[graphical user interface|GUI]] system used on the [[Atari ST]] and as part of [[Corel Ventura|Ventura Publisher]].

A draft international standard was circulated for review in September 1983.<ref name="NS_1983"/><ref name="Straayer_1983"/><ref name="DW_1983"/> Final ratification of the standard was achieved in 1985, making it the first [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] graphics standard.<ref name="ISO_1985"/><ref name="CW_1985"/>

A [[3D computer graphics|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 language]]s, 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 [[workstation]]s in the 1980s and early 1990s.<ref name="CW_1986"/> GKS formed the basis of [[Digital Research]]'s [[Graphics System Extension|GSX]] which evolved into VDI, one of the core components of [[Graphics Environment Manager|GEM]]. GEM was the native GUI on the [[Atari ST]] and was occasionally seen on PCs, particularly in conjunction with [[Corel Ventura|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,<ref name=gr>{{cite web|title=GR Framework|author1=Josef Heinen|display-authors=etal|date=1985–2019|url=https://gr-framework.org/|access-date=2020-11-16}}</ref> a C library for high-performance scientific visualization that has become a common plotting backend among [[Julia (programming language)|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:<ref name="ISO_cat1"/><ref name="ISO_cat2"/>
* [[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 (programming language)|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 ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="NS_1983">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[New Scientist]] |title=Europe calls the tune on computer graphics |author= |page=152 |date=1983-04-21 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYf6sbOhyP0C&pg=PA152 |access-date=2018-01-18 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
<ref name="Straayer_1983">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Computerworld]] |title=Headway Being Made on Graphics Standards |author-first=Dave |author-last=Straayer |page=7 |date=1983-07-25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mIm9mWKDxYC&pg=RA1-PA7 |access-date=2018-01-01}}</ref>
<ref name="DW_1983">{{cite magazine |author= |magazine=[[Computerworld]] |page=64 |title=Ansi Seeking Comment On Standard for Graphics |date=1983-09-12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_itgx7IkelMC&pg=PA64 |access-date=2018-01-18}}</ref>
<ref name="ISO_1985">{{cite web |title=ISO 7942:1985 |url=https://www.iso.org/standard/14914.html |access-date=2018-01-18}}</ref>
<ref name="CW_1985">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Computerworld]] |page=36 |title=Ansi standards draw attention of graphics industry |date=1985-03-25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EFea26Iy2kQC&pg=RA1-PA36 |access-date=2018-01-18}}</ref>
<ref name="CW_1986">{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nvgwHu6zOfQC&pg=PA73 |magazine=[[Computerworld]] |author= |title=HP library implements GKS |page=73 |date=1986-03-31 |access-date=2018-01-18}}</ref>
<ref name="ISO_cat1">Catalogue search results on http://www.iso.org/iso</ref>
<ref name="ISO_cat2">Catalogue search results on http://www.freestd.us</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |author-last=Hopgood |author-first=F. R. A. |title=Introduction to the Graphical Kernel System (GKS) |date=1983 |publisher=[[Academic Press]] |location=London |isbn=0-12-355570-1}}
* {{cite web |title=The Graphical Kernel System |author-last=Laflin |author-first=Susan |date=August 1999 |work=SEM307 Computer Graphics II |publisher=School of Computer Science, [[University of Birmingham]] |url=http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~slb/courses/Graphics/g13.html |access-date=2007-02-18 |archive-date=2015-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923211533/http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~slb/courses/Graphics/g13.html |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |author-first1=José L. |author-last1=Encarnação |author-link1=José Luis Encarnação |author-first2=L. M. |author-last2=Encarnação |author-first3=Wolfgang R. |author-last3=Herzner |title=Graphische Datenverarbeitung mit GKS |language=de |publisher=[[Carl Hanser Verlag]] |location=München / Wien |date=1987 |edition=1 |isbn=3446149783}}
* {{cite book |author-first1=Jörg |author-last1=Bechlars |author-first2=Rainer |author-last2=Buhtz |title=GKS in der Praxis |language=de |publisher=[[Springer Verlag]] |location=Heidelberg |date=1994 |edition=2 |isbn=3540567852}}
* {{cite book |author-first=Wolf-Dietrich |author-last=Fellner |title=Computergrafik |language=de |publisher=[[BI Wissenschaftsverlag]] |location=Mannheim |date=1992 |edition=2 |isbn=3411151226}}
* {{cite book |author-first=Wilfried |author-last=Gawehn |title=Grafikprogrammierung mit C und GKS |language=de |date=1991 |publisher=[[BI Wissenschaftsverlag]] |location=Mannheim |isbn=3-411-14981-7}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110717185716/http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/sewell/pde2d/gks.htm Unofficial source of current implementation information]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050429035038/http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?Graphical+Kernel+System GKS at FOLDOC]

{{ISO standards}}
{{List of IEC standards}}

[[Category:Computer graphics]]
[[Category:Application programming interfaces]]
[[Category:Graphics standards]]
[[Category:ISO standards|Graphical Kernel System]]

Graphical Kernel System - Revision history

imported>Maury Markowitz at 18:09, 3 June 2025