Software unit testing in Ada environment

A validation procedure for the Ada binding of the Graphical Kernel System (GKS) is being developed. PRIOR Data Sciences is also producing a version of the GKS written in Ada. These major software engineering projects will provide an opportunity to demonstrate a sound approach for software testing in an Ada environment. The GKS/Ada validation capability will be a collection of test programs and data, and test management guidelines. These products will be used to assess the correctness, completeness, and efficiency of any GKS/Ada implementation. The GKS/Ada developers will be able to obtain the validation software for their own use. It is anticipated that this validation software will eventually be taken over by an independent standards body to provide objective assessments of GKS/Ada implementations, using an approach similar to the validation testing currently applied to Ada compilers. In the meantime, if requested, this validation software will be used to assess GKS/Ada products. The second project, implementation of GKS using the Ada language, is a conventional software engineering tasks. It represents a large body of Ada code and has some interesting testing problems associated with automatic testing of graphics routines. Here the normal test practices which include automated regression testing, independent quality assistance, test configuration management, and the application of software quality metrics will be employed. The software testing methods emphasize quality enhancement and automated procedures. Ada makes some aspects of testing easier, and introduces some concerns. These issues are addressed

Implementation of a proprietary CAD graphics subsystem using the GKS standard interface.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1989.This project involved porting a Graphical Software Package (GSP) from the proprietary IDS-BO Gerber CAD system onto a more modern computer that would allow student access for further study and development. Because of the popularity of Unix as an "open systems environment", the computer chosen was an HP9000 using the HP-UX operating system. In addition, it was decided to implement a standard Graphical Kernel System (GKS) interface to provide further portability and to cater for the expected growth of the GKS as an international standard. By way of introduction, a brief general overview of computer graphics, some of the essential considerations for the design of a graphics package and a description of the work undertaken are presented. Then follows a detailed presentation of the two systems central to this project i) the lDS-8O Gerber proprietary CAD system, with particular attention being paid to the Graphical Software Package (GSP) which it uses and ii) the Graphical Kernel System (GKS) which has become a widely accepted international graphics standard. The major differences between the lDS-8O Gerber GSP system and the GKS system are indicated. Following the theoretical presentation of the GSP and GKS systems, the practical work involved in first implementing a "skeleton" GKS interface on the HP9000 Unix System, incorporating the existing Advanced Graphics Package (AGP) is presented. The establishment of a GKS interface then allows an lDS-8O Gerber GSP interface to be developed and mapped onto this. Detailed description is given of the methods employed for this implementation and the reasons for the data structures chosen. The procedures and considerations for the testing and verification of the total .system implemented on the HP9000 then follow. Original lDS-8O Gerber 2-D .applications software was used for the purpose of testing. The implementation of the data base that this software uses is also presented. Conclusions on system performance are finally presented as well as suggested areas for possible further work

Problems in the design and implementation of a GKS-based user interface for a graphical information system

CISRG discussion paper ;

Graphical workstation capability for reliability modeling

In addition to computational capabilities, software tools for estimating the reliability of fault-tolerant digital computer systems must also provide a means of interfacing with the user. Described here is the new graphical interface capability of the hybrid automated reliability predictor (HARP), a software package that implements advanced reliability modeling techniques. The graphics oriented (GO) module provides the user with a graphical language for modeling system failure modes through the selection of various fault-tree gates, including sequence-dependency gates, or by a Markov chain. By using this graphical input language, a fault tree becomes a convenient notation for describing a system. In accounting for any sequence dependencies, HARP converts the fault-tree notation to a complex stochastic process that is reduced to a Markov chain, which it can then solve for system reliability. The graphics capability is available for use on an IBM-compatible PC, a Sun, and a VAX workstation. The GO module is written in the C programming language and uses the graphical kernal system (GKS) standard for graphics implementation. The PC, VAX, and Sun versions of the HARP GO module are currently in beta-testing stages

Graphics mini manual

The computer graphics capabilities available at the Center are introduced and their use is explained. More specifically, the manual identifies and describes the various graphics software and hardware components, details the interfaces between these components, and provides information concerning the use of these components at LaRC

The Visvalingam algorithm: metrics, measures and heuristics

This paper provides the background necessary for a clear understanding of forthcoming papers relating to the Visvalingam algorithm for line generalisation, for example on the testing and usage of its implementations. It distinguishes the algorithm from implementation-specific issues to explain why it is possible to get inconsistent but equally valid output from different implementations. By tracing relevant developments within the now-disbanded Cartographic Information Systems Research Group (CISRG) of the University of Hull, it explains why a) a partial metric-driven implementation was, and still is, sufficient for many projects but not for others; b) why the Effective Area (EA) is a measure derived from a metric; c) why this measure (EA) may serve as a heuristic indicator for in-line feature segmentation and model-based generalisation; and, d) how metrics may be combined to change the order of point elimination. The issues discussed in this paper also apply to the use of other metrics. It is hoped that the background and guidance provided in this paper will enable others to participate in further research based on the algorithm

A proposed C language binding for the Graphical Kernel System-3D

This thesis introduces a proposed C language binding definition for the International Standards Organization\u27s draft international standard of the Graphical Kernel System-3D. This work augments the earlier C language binding of the two dimensional version of the Graphical Kernel System commonly known as GKS. The proposed function interface will provide a basis for, if not a final, C language binding for the three dimensional version of the Graphical Kernel System --Abstract, page ii

Current and future graphics requirements for LaRC and proposed future graphics system

The findings of an investigation to assess the current and future graphics requirements of the LaRC researchers with respect to both hardware and software are presented. A graphics system designed to meet these requirements is proposed

At last an ISO C binding of GKS

The bindings of GKS and other semantic computer C graphics standards like GKS-3D and PHIGS are long overdue. While GKS was completed in 1985 and GKS-3D (and PHIGS) became an international standard in 1988, none of their C bindings could be standardized, for the simple reason that the C language itself was not a standard. Instead, a host of de facto GKS/C bindings appeared. This paper will give the flavour of the ISO C bind- GKS, GKS-3D, PHIGS, C language binding