This paper describes an advanced technique in hardware and software for the intermixed display of refresh and storage graphics. Traditional storage tube terminals have the advantage of low cost coupled with the ability to display large amounts of high resolution graphic information, but do not provide for dynamic motion and transformation of a displayed image. High resolution, high density refreshed displays tend to be expensive. Combining both refresh and storage graphics on the same display allows pictures to be segregated into static and dynamic areas to achieve the desired results at reduced cost. The hardware and system software to make this marriage of refresh and storage graphics work effectively for interactive computer graphics is described.

Stand alone graphic systems and time-shared graphics provide different benefits to a user. The same is true of refresh graphics and storage displays. An operating system is described which supports these combined modes through the integration of graphics into the operating system. Realization of the role of the system, generality, and flexibility were the major factors in the development of the system. The result is a computer graphic system providing high-level interactive graphics at a relatively low cost.