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Note: the December version of this review was sent to both Chromatics
and Tektronix. In April, Chromatics kindly sent me a long response
with corrections, comments, and announcements of several of the
features that I had previously noted were lacking. Regrettably, the
alphanumeric buffer size problem has apparently not yet been resolved.
I was fortunate in having the daily use for about four weeks of a
Tektronix 4105 (480 x 360 resolution) color graphics terminal, and
while I had it, a four day test of a Chromatics 4200 (512 x 512
resolution) color graphics terminal. In the spring of 1983, a
significant price barrier was broken by the announcement of these two
terminals at a list price of $3995 in unit quantities. In September
1983, Intecolor announced a color graphics terminal at the same price,
but with 1024 x 768 resolution. A year ago, a color terminal of this
resolution was not available for less than about $10,000.
The manuals for both the Chromatics and Tektronix terminals are over
100 pages long, so it will not be possible to describe all of their
features. I will try here to compare their capabilities.
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Feature | Chromatics 4200 Tektronix 4105
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Price: $3995 $3995
Resolution: 512H x 512V 480H x 360V
(512H x 384V 80 chars x 40 lines
visible)
85 chars x 48 lines
Screen: 60Hz non-interlaced 60Hz non-interlaced
(30 Hz interlaced at
1024 x 1024 resolution
in 4300 model)
Memory planes: 4 3
Alpha terminal Chromatics 7900, VT52, VT100 (only 80
emulation: ADM3, Tektronix columns visible, 132
(see notes 4014 (standard handled but must be
below) on Version 2.00 or panned), Tektronix 4100
later) series
Baud rates: 110 .. 19200 110 .. 38400
Dialog area 2,4,8,16 8
colors: (minus graphics area)
Graphics area 2,4,8,16 8
colors: (minus dialog area)
Display list: 50K bytes None
Turn off display Yes No
while drawing:
Color model: RGB HLS
Color lookup optional 8 or 16 entry standard 8 entry
table: with 16 more for blink; in each of dialog and
16 from palette of 4096 graphics area; superb
soon standard local modification
Color plane Yes No
priorities:
Color plane Yes No
read/write
masking:
Light pen: Yes No
Alpha cursors: 2 + 128 user-definable 1
Graphics cursors: 3 + 128 user-definable 1
Drawing primitives: move, line, polyline, move, line, polyline,
ray, arc, circle, marker, polymarker,
point, triangle, polygon
polygon, incremental
X bar, incremental Y
bar, 4-point Bezier
Polygon fill 8 or 16 solid, 256 149 pre-defined 32 x 32
patterns: character fill (user patterns including
definable). solid and brick and
stone walls!
Polygon edge Yes Edge may be included
filled: or excluded
Polygon fill Yes, to both edge and No
after plotting: area color
Line styles: 65536 pre-defined 8 pre-defined
Line widths: 1 .. 65536 pixels with No
round endpoints!
Markers: None (but could easily 10 (including the 5
display with user- required by the CORE
definable fonts) proposal)
Window, Viewport, Yes Yes
Scale, Clip:
User-definable vector (16 x 16), raster None
fonts: (up to 256 x 256), cursor
(up to 256 x 256), fill
pattern (up to 256 x 256)
Command formats: Verbose and binary (16 Verbose and binary (8
bits per number) to 24 bits per number)
(Binary needs only 7-bit (Binary needs only
ASCII codes) 7-bit ASCII codes)
Local option Minimal Outstanding, including
setup: help!
Error diagnostics None Yes!
for invalid
commands:
Display all Yes Yes
characters mode
for debugging:
User-definable All keys! All keys!
keys: (except control (except control
and shift) and shift)
Raster image No Available Jan 1984
downloading: (run length encoding)
Raster copy within Rectangular regions Available Jan 1984
bitmap: with Replace and OR Rectangular regions
of source and target only with replacement
Tone generator: 3 voice, 1 .. 9300 msec None
123 .. 5000 Hz
Pan: Horizontally and None
vertically; cyclic in
bitmap
Zoom: 1 .. 16 about cursor None
point
Blink: Yes, by color and plane; Only entire display
frequency user controllable
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Documentation for the Tektronix 4105 consists of three typeset,
indexed, and complete manuals which include alphabetical setup and host
command tables. The Tektronix has performed flawlessly for the entire
test period, and I have not found a single feature which did not work
as advertised.
In VT100 (ANSI 3.64) mode with the EMACS text editor, it initially lost
data at 9600 baud, because EMACS uses CTL-S and CTL-Q, so the
flow-control protocol which uses these characters must be disable.
Although it is possible to tell EMACS to avoid using these two
characters, I am so used to using them for their usual string search
and quote functions that any other assi