NETWORLD Boston. Mass: Attachmate today unveiled its Host Graphics Option (HGO) for Windows, which allows PCs running Microsoft Windows to emulate the functions of an IBM 3179-G mainframe Graphics terminal. The new product is an add-on option to the company's EXTRA! for Windows PC-mainframe software, and is slated for shipment later this month. "HGO for Windows overcomes the problems associated with using a PC to do mainframe graphics," said Mike New, VP of marketing for Attachmate. "3179-G emulation is one of the most complicated, detail-oriented aspects of PC-mainframe software. The first 80% is relatively easy to develop, but the last 20% is critical to proper operation. We've devoted the time and effort to do accurate 3179-G emulation and ensure full compatibility with host applications." An incomplete implementation of the 3179-G protocol can either present erroneous information or completely hang the host session. Accurate image display and fully interactive manipulation are essential. Most importantly, accurate 3179-G emulation ensures stability. IBM's mainframe graphics package, Application System (AS), for example, occasionally invokes a little-used "text cursor" mode of the 3179-G terminal. Attachmate's HGO product is fully compatible with AS. Products that do not implement text cursor do not run reliably with AS. Some mainframe graphics applications are more forgiving. IBM's Graphical Data Display Manager (GDDM), for example, allows PC-based emulators to tell the host which 3179-G functions they support. "In our experience, however, most host graphics applications are hardcoded for a real 3179-G terminal and produce unpredictable results if some terminal functions are missing," said New. Attachmate's HGO for Windows responds to mainframe commands as if it were a real 3179-G terminal, ensuring compatibility with any host graphics application. Accurate Image Display HGO takes full advantage of the Windows environment by dynamically resizing the host image to fit the window. Since the image may become distorted as the window is stretched, however, the product includes an option that preserves the correct aspect ratio for a given window size. This feature is important for host images such as surface charts that could be misinterpreted if distorted. Downloadable symbols are also fully supported, again ensuring the accuracy of the host image. These custom symbol sets are often downloaded from the host for specialized functions, such as a pattern-fill for an object. The 3179-G terminal supports both a default symbol set and the downloadable symbols that can significantly change an image. Most PC-based emulators support only the default set; HGO replicates the full 3179-G functionality. Interactive Image Manipulation Once HGO has displayed the image at the PC, the user has several options for manipulation. On-line editing is possible using HGO's graphic and text cursor ability . All four 3179-G graphic cursors are supported, again reflecting the complete set of terminal functions. Default mainframe colors can be individually re-assigned by the user to any color supported by the PC. On some PC monitors, for example, the default blue used with the actual 3179-G terminal may appear too dark. A user can change the color to their personal preference. Copy and Paste functions are also supported using the Windows clipboard, with an important distinction: Because HGO for Windows preserves the separate text and graphics "layers" as implemented in the 3179-G, the user may elect to copy/paste only the graphic image. The clutter of text prompts and menus on the mainframe screen can be omitted when the image is imported into other Windows applications. Mainframe images can be printed to any Windows-supported printer or plotter, and may include either the text or graphics layer, or both. Images may also be stored in a variety of popular formats, including PIF, Metafile and BX-mapped. Pricing and Availability HGO for Windows is available immediately from Attachmate. List price is $495; corporate discounts are available. Under Attachmate's EXTRA! for Life program, upgrades from the DOS version of HGO are automatically shipped at no-charge to Central Support customers; non-Central Support customers can upgrade for $75 per copy. Pricing outside of the U.S.A. varies. Attachmate Corporation, 13231 SE 36th Street, Bellevue, WA 98006, (800) 426-6283, (206) 644-401 0. +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | From the America On-Line & PC-Link New Product Info Services | +===============================================================+ | This information was processed with OmniPage Professional OCR | | software (from Caere Corp) & a Canon IX-30 scanner from data | | provided by the above mentioned company. For additional info, | | contact the company at the address or phone# indicated above. | | All submissions for this service should be addressed to | | BAKER ENTERPRISES, 20 Ferro Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080 U.S.A. | +---------------------------------------------------------------+