EGA

Ega, or EGA, is an acronym used for several topics. In computing, it most often denotes the Extended Graphics Adapter, a graphics card standard for IBM PC compatibles introduced by IBM in 1984. In sports administration, EGA stands for the European Golf Association, the umbrella body for amateur golf in Europe.

The Extended Graphics Adapter expanded color and resolution beyond the earlier CGA standard. It provided 16 colors at a time from a 64-color palette and supported higher resolutions such as 640 by 350 pixels, as well as 320 by 200, with 16-color display in both modes. It was designed to be backward compatible with CGA in limited fashion and preceded the VGA standard; many EGA-capable games and software could run on VGA boards using emulation, once VGA became widespread.

In the history of PC graphics, EGA contributed to the progression during the 1980s, bridging the gap between CGA and VGA. With the advent of VGA in the late 1980s, EGA gradually became legacy hardware, but it remained influential in software development and game compatibility for several years.

The European Golf Association coordinates European amateur golf and organizes events such as continental championships; it represents member national associations and works to standardize rules and eligibility across Europe. The acronym EGA is also used by other organizations or applications in various languages, but the two uses above are among the most common.