	VGTS Wish List
	---- ---- ----

      Bill Nowicki January, 1985


Bug fixes and half-implemented features:
- get sync errors when typing ahead doing getevents.
- remove old-style (value returning) calls - relink cataclysm
- fix up simple text width calculation
- Mouse control: clean up local/remote dichotomy
- Mouse Status should block until mouse moves
- Complete the V I/O protocol interface to the VGTS
	- Use Receive With Segment for improved performance
	- Store and set Owners for instances
	- Check block numbers to make idempotent
	- One instance for each direction
- Return the string in remote Inquire Items
- add delete VGT and SDF commands to view manager (or reference count SDFs)
- check out Mogul and DRK's bugs (robustness checking?)
- speed up graphdisp inner loop by eliminating unnecessary transformations


Merge in Kenneth's hacks:
- Add more sophisticated debugging, debugvgts program
- Install sts that allows force exception from keyboard
- change remote.h to Vgtp.h and install it
- rethink and SIMPLIFY the internal data structures
- rethink and SIMPLIFY the include file organization
- Add circles and polylines and polyarcs
- Add GKS-style markers
- DefineFont, DefinePattern, DefineMarker should be dynamic
- Make VGTs into V instance pairs (major rewrite)
- Graphics VGTs should be non-blocking with early replies for concurrency
- Make attribute tables per-sdf
- Add inheritence of attributes (what about fonts???)
- Make VGT groups really work, merge with "slave" concept
- GKS Compatable library (do we have any GKS applications yet?)
- Use 0 instead of -1 to indicate no popup menu choice


Kenneth's questionable or resisted changes:
- Don't break dale and siledit, please!
- Do performance testing again to keep things fast
- Keep the SDF data structutres dense and effecient
- Don't just add code, simplify when possible 
- Don't put symbols and primitive items in different name spaces
- Don't generate item numbers for all items in stubs2.c (fills up hash table!)
- Don't worry about readback until shown to be necessary


Portability Issues
- Document necessary graphics functionality ("VDI-like" layer)
- MicroVax/QVSS implementation
	- Get primitives from DEC Hudson
	- Get rid of byte order dependencies
	- Port all the rest of the software (e.g. application programs)
- IRIS implementation (color) 
- SUN Color board implementation
- DEC VS100 implementation (probably forget it now)
- AED512 or Grinnell implementation (probably never)

Applications:
- make sure all existing aplpications still compile and link after changes
- install Rolf's rotating cube and V demos
- fix datsun (control up-arrow problem?)
- make dale really useful (ask MIPs people what they want)
- improve the show program with press files (font library mostly)
- hardcopy from draw (supposedly Gus did this?)
- do solids modelling stuff for NASA demo

Additional functionality:
- fix redisplay of non-top-level symbols (e.g. Kenneth's flock program)
- Integrate mouse into line editor (more input cooking)
- use typedata for lines to mean white, black, XOR, etc.
- variable font pads, change pad size after creation
- blinking objects
- Nested clipping regions ("windows in windows")
- Hit sensitivity control (get rid of HILIGHT hack)
- user interface standards (menu packages, etc.)


More general issues:
- Animated objects (rubber banding, dragging)
- store all pad output on files
- Local Editing and reading back edited symbols
- Caching large SDFs (or will paging save us?)
- Generalizd figure paramters
- Scaling symbols (multiplies!)
- Connection points
- Program control of viewing; customization
- Environmental inquiry (extension/subsets)
- Symbol name scoping, libraries (ala Grapple)


Documentation issues:
- Add more examples to current spec in server manual
- Synchronize spec and reality
- Document byte-stream protocol somewhere

