Achievement certificates from graphics environment

ABSTRACT

Karsten Manufacturing Corporation issues a “Certificate of Hole in One” (CHIO) to golfers who ace with PING (trademark) equipment. Formerly done manually, the certificate is now plotted automatically in less than two minutes, unattended, with two-color English Gothic and simplex italic Roman fonts, and a digitized signature, on gilded, preprinted, parchment forms. The plot file is produced from international input data received orally by telephone, or on tape from the “Golf Digest” clearing house. The APL2 application was implemented as an extension of the IBM GIAM graphics language and employs several new commands for loading and manipulating graphic characters from the Hershey font library. The paper explains various input panels and graphic displays. Technical obstacles including acceptable interactive and batch running-time-per-certificate are described, along with their solution. The method includes traditional MIS techniques and shows how these are applied in a production system. This is the story of how the CHIO project evolved and how we learned by doing.

REFERENCES

• Wo76: N.M. Wolcott and J. Hilsenrath, A Contribution to Computer Typesetting Techniques: Tables of Coordinates for Hershey's Repertory of Occidental Type Fonts and Graphic Symbols, U.S. Department of Commerce, NBS Spec. Publ. 424 (out of print). The coordinate data are available on magnetic media from NTIS.
• B180: J.H. Bleher et al, "A Graphic Interactive Application Monitor", IBM Systems Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 382-402.
• Pr84: DI-3000 User's Guide, Precision Visuals, Inc., Boulder, Colorado 80301, USA, Docum. No. D13817.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.7 DOCUMENT AND TEXT PROCESSING
      I.7.2 Document Preparation
          Subjects: Photocomposition/typesetting

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
      D.3.2 Language Classifications

          Nouns: APL

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.3 COMPUTER GRAPHICS
      I.3.1 Hardware architecture
          Subjects: Hardcopy devices**
      I.3.6 Methodology and Techniques
          Subjects: Languages

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management
          Subjects: Systems development
      K.6.3 Software Management
          Subjects: Software selection

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors, Languages, Management