                       The Graphics Software DISLIN
                    ----------------------------------


Introduction
------------

DISLIN is a high level library of  subroutines and  functions that display
data graphically. It is intended to be a powerful and easy to use software
package for programmers  and scientists that does not require knowledge of
hardware features. The software is available for the programming languages
C, Fortran 77 and Fortran 90.

DISLIN  stores the  graphic information in a  device-independent  metafile
that is converted by a device  driver program for  plotting on various de-
vices. Two formats can be selected: a GKSLIN metafile coded in ASCII and a
CGM binary metafile corresponding to the ANSI norm. Device-dependent plot-
files  can also be  generated by  DISLIN  such as  PostScript files,  HPGL 
files,  Prescribe files for Kyocera printers,  and Tektronix and  X Window
emulations for graphic terminals.

The library contains the following features:

  -  9 software fonts where each font provides 6 alphabets. Hardware fonts
     for PostScript printers can also be used.

  -  Plotting of two- and three-dimensional axis systems.  Axes can be li-
     nearly or  logarithmically scaled and labeled with linear,  logarith-
     mic, time, map and user-defined formats.

  -  Plotting of curves. Several curves can  appear in one axis system and
     can be  differentiated  by colour,  line style and pattern.  Multiple
     axis systems can be displayed on a page.

  -  Plotting of legends.

  -  Elementary  plot routines  for lines,  vectors and outlined or filled
     regions such as rectangles, circles, arcs, ellipses and polygons.

  -  Shielded regions can be defined.

  -  Business graphics.

  -  3-D colour graphics.

  -  3-D graphics.

  -  Elementary image routines.

  -  Geographical projections and plotting of maps.

  -  Contouring.


Manuals in English are available.


Hard- and Software Requirements
-------------------------------


At the moment, DISLIN versions are available for the following hard- 
and software components:

 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 |   Hardware       |  Operating System  |        Compiler         |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | IBM-PC           |  MS-DOS            |  MS-Fortran 5.0, 5.1    |
 |                  |                    |  MS-Fortran Powerst. 1.0|
 |                  |                    |  Lahey-Fortran 5.0      |
 |                  |                (*) |  Lahey-ELF90 3.0        |       
 |                  |                    |  Salford-FTN77/16 3.5   |
 |                  |                    |  MS-C 7.0               |
 |                  |                    |  MS-QuickC 2.5          |
 |                  |                (*) |  GCC 2.8.1 (DJGPP)      |
 |                  |                (*) |  G77 0.523 (DJGPP)      |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | IBM-PC           |  Linux         (*) |  GNU-GCC, F2C, G77,     |
 |                  |                (*) |  Perl 5.003, Python 1.5 |
 |                  |                (*) |  Imagine F compiler     |
 |                  |                (*) |  NAG F90 compiler       |
 |                  |                (*) |  Absoft F77 + F90   4.4 |
 |                  |                (*) |  Portland PGF77, PGF90  |
 |                  |                (*) |  VAST/f90               |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | IBM-PC           |  FreeBSD       (*) |  GNU-GCC, F2C, G77      |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | IBM-PC           |  Windows 95        |  Visual C++ 4.x, 5.0    |
 |                  |                    |  Absoft C, F77, F90 5.0 |
 |                  |                    |  Lahey LF90  3.x, 4.x   |
 |                  |                    |  Salford-FTN77 3.5/32   |
 |                  |                    |  Salford-FTN90 2.18/32  |
 |                  |                (*) |  G77/GCC GNU-Win32      |
 |                  |                (*) |  G77/GCC Mingw32        |
 |                  |                (*) |  LCC-Win32 (+f2c)       |
 |                  |                (*) |  Python 1.5             |   
 |                  |                    |  Digital Visual Fortran |
 |                  |                    |                     5.0 |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | DEC-ALPHA        |  OpenVMS 6.2       |  FOR, CC, F90           |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | DEC-ALPHA        |  OSF1 3.x, 4.x     |  f77, cc, f90,          |
 |                  |                    |  Perl 5.003, Python 1.5 |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | DECstation       |  ULTRIX 4.3        |  f77, cc                |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | IBM RS-6000      |  AIX 4.2           |  xlf, cc, f90           |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | HP 9000/7xx      |  HP-UX 9.05        |  f77, cc                |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | Silicon Graphics |  IRIX 5.3/32-Bit   |  f77, cc, Python 1.4    |
 |                  |  IRIX 6.2/64-Bit   |  f77, cc, f90           |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 | SUN SPARC        |  SunOS 4.1.4       |  f77 3.01, gcc 2.7.2,   |
 |                  |                    |  g77 0.5.18             |
 | SUN SPARC        |  SunOS 5.4         |  f77, cc, f90,          |
 |                  |                    |  Perl 5.003, Python 1.5 |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 (*)  free DISLIN versions.


The following devices are provided directly by DISLIN:

   -  HPGL plotters (i.e. HP 7550A)
   -  Laserprinters with PostScript emulation
   -  Laserprinters with Prescribe emulation (Kyocera)
   -  Laserprinters with Tektronix emulation (i.e. DEC LN03)
   -  Graphic terminals with Tektronix emulation 4010/4014
   -  X Window terminals, VGA cards.


Distributor
-----------

Garching Innovation, D-80539 Muenchen, Koeniginstrasse 19, 
Telefon: +49 89 288279, Fax: +49 89 2108 1593
http://www.garching-innovation.mpg.de

Please contact the author.

The current prices of DISLIN are:

       ---------------------------------------------------
       |   License     |    German DM    |    US Dollar  |
       ---------------------------------------------------
       |   IBM-PC      |  250,- DM + tax |   150,- US $  |
       ---------------------------------------------------
       |   Workstation |  750,- DM + tax |   450,- US $  |
       ---------------------------------------------------
       |   Campus      | 2000,- DM + tax |  1200,- US $  |
       ---------------------------------------------------

   Notes:

     - All prices are unique payments and include future DISLIN up-
       grades.
 
     - An IBM-PC license is available  for the  DISLIN PC versions. 
       Several  DISLIN  versions  can be used on the PC at the same 
       time. 

     - A workstation license  can be used for the UNIX and VMS ver-
       sions of DISLIN installed on a single workstation.  The num-
       ber of users is unlimited. 

     - A campus license allows  DISLIN  installations on all compu-
       ters of an institute. 

     - The IBM-PC versions of DISLIN for Linux,  FreeBSD,  GCC+G77/
       MS-DOS and GCC+G77/Windows 95  are free software.  The other
       DISLIN versions can be tested free of charge for 10 days. 

Author
------

        Helmut Michels, MPI fuer Aeronomie, Max-Planck-Str. 2,
        D-37191 Katlenburg-Lindau,
        Tel.: +49 5556 979 334, Fax: +49 5556 979 240, 
        Mail: michels@linmpi.mpg.de

FTP Sites
---------

DISLIN is available via ftp anonymous from the following sites:

  - ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/grafik/dislin 
  - ftp://linhmi.mpae.gwdg.de/pub/dislin 

The DISLIN Home Page is:

  http://www.mpae.gwdg.de/dislin/dislin.html
