RFC 965 (rfc965) - Page 1 of 51
Format for a graphical communication protocol
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group Lorenzo Aguilar
Request for Comments: 965 SRI International
December 1985
A Format for a Graphical Communication Protocol
STATUS OF THIS MEMO
This paper describes the requirements for a graphical format on which
to base a graphical on-line communication protocol. The proposal is
an Interactive Graphical Communication Format using the GKSM session
metafile. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
ABSTRACT
This paper describes the requirements for a graphical format on which
to base a graphical on-line communication protocol. It is argued that
on-line graphical communication is similar to graphical session
capture, and thus we propose an Interactive Graphical Communication
Format using the GKSM session metafile.
We discuss the items that we believe complement the GKSM metafile as
a format for on-line interactive exchanges. One key application area
of such a format is multi-media on-line conferencing; therefore, we
present a conferencing software architecture for processing the
proposed format. We make this format specification available to those
planning multi-media conferencing systems as a contribution toward
the development of a graphical communication protocol that will
permit the interoperation of these systems.
We hope this contribution will encourage the discussion of multimedia
data exchange and the proposal of solutions. At SRI, we stay open to
the exploration of alternatives and we will continue our research and
development work in this problem area.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wants to thank Andy Poggio of SRI who made many insightful
and valuable suggestions that trimmed and improved level U. His
expertise in multi-media communication systems and his encouragement
were a most positive input to the creation of this IGCF. Dave
Worthington of SRI also participated in the project discussions
involving this IGCF. Thanks are also due to Tom Powers, chairman of
ANSI X3H33, who opened this forum to the presentation of an earlier
version of this paper, thereby providing an opportunity for the
invaluable feedback of the X3H33 members. Jon Postel of ISI
recommended a number of changes that made this paper more coherent
and accessible.
Aguilar