Graphical Data Display Manager
| Company type | Software framework |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer graphics, Software |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | IBM Hursley lab |
| Headquarters | Hursley , United Kingdom |
| Products | Computer graphics framework, charting functions, programming language integration, format conversion tools, Interactive Chart Utility |
| Owner | IBM |
GDDM (Graphical Data Display Manager) represents a computer graphics framework developed by IBM at the Hursley lab for the IBM System/370, with its initial release dating back to 1979. The system was originally engineered to accommodate the IBM 3279 color display terminal alongside the matching 3287 color printer, primarily serving business-oriented applications.
Throughout the early 1980s, GDDM's compatibility broadened to encompass all IBM display terminals and printers, operating seamlessly across every IBM mainframe operating system. Additionally, it incorporated support for international interactive graphics standards such as the GKS and PHIGS, both tailored to meet the demands of CAD environments.
The IBM i midrange operating system, along with its predecessor AS/400, also includes GDDM as part of its graphical infrastructure.
Essential features of GDDM consist of:
- Basic graphic elements – including lines, circles, and rectangles
- Charting functions – provided via the Presentation Graphics Feature (PGF)
- Programming language integration – supporting PL/I, REXX, and COBOL
- Format conversion tools – for example, exporting to GIF
- Interactive Chart Utility (ICU) for dynamic charting
Today, GDDM continues to be extensively utilized, embedded within numerous z/OS applications and core system software.
GDDM and OS/2 Presentation Manager
In 1986, IBM partnered with Microsoft to develop OS/2, whose Graphics Presentation Interface (GPI)—the graphics API for OS/2's Presentation Manager—was derived from IBM’s GDDM and the Graphics Control Program (GCP), initially created at Hursley for 3270/PC terminals.
GPI functioned as OS/2's principal graphics API. Nevertheless, despite the rise of graphical user interfaces during that period, GDDM's architecture was akin to conventional graphics APIs such as GKS, which limited its effectiveness for sophisticated real-time interactive applications.
Following the dissolution of their partnership in 1991, Microsoft focused on evolving Windows with its Graphics Device Interface (GDI), while IBM continued to advance OS/2 development for several subsequent years.