Graphical Data Display Manager: Difference between revisions

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'''GDDM''' ('''Graphical Data Display Manager''') is a [[computer graphics]] system for the IBM [[System/370]] which was developed in [[IBM]]'s [[Hursley]] House|Hursley lab]], and first released in 1979. GDDM was originally designed to provide programming support for the [[IBM 3279]] colour display terminal and the associated 3287 colour printer. The 3279 was the firsta colour graphics terminal thatdesigned couldto be used in a general business environment.

GDDM was extended in the early 1980s to provide graphics support for all of IBM's display terminals and printers, and ran on all of IBM's mainframe operating systems.

GDDM also provided support for the (then current) international standards for interactive computer graphics: [[Graphical Kernel System|GKS]] and [[PHIGS]]. Both GKS and PHIGS were designed around the requirements of [[CAD]] systems.

GDDM is also available on the IBM i midrange operating system, as well as its predecessor, the AS/400.<ref>{{cite web |title=Creating Presentation Graphics with GDDM |url=https://www.mcpressonline.com/analytics-cognitive/document-management/creating-presentation-graphics-with-gddm |website=MC Press Online |accessdate=Mar 1, 2020}}</ref>

GDDM comprises a number of components:

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* Graphics primitives - lines, circles, boxes etc.

* Graphing - through the Presentation Graphics Feature (PGF)

* Language support - [[PL/I]], [[REXX]], [[COBOL]] etc.

* Conversion capabilities - for example to GIF format.

* Interactive Chart Utility (ICU).

GDDM remains in widespread use today, embedded in many [[z/OS]] applications, as well as in Systemsystem programs.

==GDDM and OS/2 Presentation Manager==

When [[IBM]] and [[Microsoft]] began collaborating on the design of [[OS/2]] in 1986. theThe Graphics Presentation Interface (GPI) which was, the graphics [[API]] in the OS/2 [[Presentation Manager]], was based on IBM's GDDM and the Graphics Control Program (GCP). GCP was originally developed in Hursley for the 3270/PC-G and 3270/PC-GX terminals.

The GPI was used as the primary graphics [[API]] for the [[OS/2]] operating system.

At the time (1980s), the [[graphical user interface]] (GUI) was still in its early stages of popularity, but already it was clear that the foundation of a good GUI was a graphics API with strong ''real-time interactive'' capabilities. Unfortunately, the design of GDDM was closer to (at the time) traditional graphics APIs like [[Graphical Kernel System|GKS]], which made it unsuited for more than the simplest interactive uses.

Microsoft and IBM went their separate ways in 1991. Microsoft continued development of its [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] operating environment with [[Graphics Device Interface]] (GDI) graphics API. IBM continued with OS/2 for several more years.

==References==

===External links===

{{Reflist}}

* [http://www.ibm.com/software/applications/gddm/about/index.html IBM's GDDM page], including links to on-line documentation.

* Charles Petzold, '' Programming the OS/2 Presentation Manager'', Microsoft Press, 1989. {{ISBN |1-55615-170-5}}.

* [http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/history/year_1979.html announcement of 3279 and 3287.]

==External References links==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050117192808/http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/history/year_1979.html announcement of 3279 and 3287.]

* Charles Petzold, '' Programming the OS/2 Presentation Manager'', Microsoft Press, 1989. ISBN 1-55615-170-5.

* [https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_61/books_web/sc410536.pdf GDDM Programming Guide]

[[Category:Graphics software]]

[[Category:OS/2]]

[[Category:IBM software|Graphical Data Display Manager]]

[[Category:IBM mainframe software]]

[[de:GDDM]]