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ABSTRACT for the CSM PLOTTING PACKAGE			10-Apr-84

    The CSM Plotting Package replaces subroutines PLOT, SYMBOL,  and  SETABL  in
FORLIB  version  6  or  7.   Output  can  be  sent to TEKTRONIX terminals, ReGIS
devices, or to a compressed plot file on disk.   The  compressed  plot  file  is
smaller  than DEC's spooled file by a factor of over 20 to 1.  The plot file can
be viewed on a  graphics  terminal  before  being  sent  to  the  system  queue.
SYMBOL.DAT  includes  13  fonts, including the Greek alphabet.  Modifications to
SPROUT allow it to drive both an XY10 plotter or a Houston  Instruments  plotter
with a PTC-6 or CPS-15 interface.

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BACKGROUND:

    The CSM Plotting Package was invented out of necessity.  We make daily plots
of system statistics, showing number of jobs, core used, idle and overhead time,
etc.  Back when we had a KA-10, all our disks were RP02s and RP03s, and  running
DEC's  subroutine  PLOT  to  a  spooled  disk  file would fill up an RP02 rather
quickly.  Therefore Rex Shadrick developed a  compressed  plot  file,  in  which
delta-X  and  delta-Y were encoded in one or two halfwords.  Moves requiring 700
6-bit bytes were reduced  to  a  single  36-bit  word.   Also  included  in  the
compressed  plot  were  op-codes  to  control a plotter with 3 pens.  The PLTSPL
program was modified to read the compressed plot file and expand  the  movements
to single-increment bytes, which were then sent to the XY10 plotter interface on
the I/O bus.  Later routines were added to drive  the  TEKTRONIX  4010  graphics
terminal,  and  a program was written to read a compressed plot file and display
it on the TEKTRONIX terminal.

    Another of Rex's improvements was to replace subroutine SYMBOL.  DEC's table
of  characters  had  limited  resolution, and had to be in core at all times.  A
file named SYS:SYMBOL.DAT was built, and subroutine ISETAB read  it  into  core.
Included in the file are fonts for italics, olde English, and script writing.

    Since  then,  the plotting package as been upgraded to 6.03, 7.01, and 7.02.
It now works with FORTRAN-10 version  6  and  FORTRAN-77  version  7.   (An  old
version for FORTRAN-10 version 5 is available.)

    Subroutine PLOT can talk directly to a graphics terminal, or it can write to
a disk file.  The TEK program can be used  to  view  this  disk  file,  even  on
systems with no plotter.  The graphics terminals currently supported are:

        TEKTRONIX 4006, 4010, 4012, 4014, 4025, and compatible terminals
        VT125, VK100/GIGI, VT240, PRO-350, and compatible ReGIS terminals
        Houston Instruments DMP-4R, DMP-7R, and compatible ReGIS plotters

  The SPROUT program currently supports the following plotters:

        All CALCOMP models connected to an XY10 controller on the I/O bus
        Any Houston Instruments plotter connected to a PTC-6 controller TTY
        Houston Instruments CPS-15 plotter connected to a TTY line

    The current version of the software is V12A.  Version 12B will  utilize  the
hardware character generator in devices that support it, and will be able to run
unmodified under TOPS-20.


                Joe Smith
                Colorado School of Mines
                Computing Center
                1500 Illinois Street
                Golden, CO   80401
                (303)273-3448