A system for time-sharing graphic consoles

Abstract

There is a large class of problems whose solution statements, in their most natural form, involve not only operation of verbal algorithms on easily defined data, but also provide assistance and prompting to a man "in-the-loop" that enables him to give information or data which may otherwise be inaccessible or not easily described. The advent of developments in the area of graphic hardware provided the necessary environment which allows for implementation of problem-solution statements which include provisions for human intervention. In order to economically justify human intervention, it is necessary, first, that there be sufficient problems of this type requiring a solution. Once this demand becomes apparent, it is further necessary that a system for sharing a single high-speed computer among several human operators be made available. Such a system, which provides for time-sharing (with good response characteristics) a single central processing unit among several graphic display consoles, is the subject of this paper.