VGAs

VGAs, short for Video Graphics Arrays, refer to the family of display standards and hardware derived from IBM’s Video Graphics Array introduced in 1987. The term is commonly used to describe the 15-pin D-sub analog connector used by VGA-compatible graphics adapters and the range of display modes those adapters support. VGA established a practical baseline for PC graphics in the late 1980s and set the expectations for color, resolution, and interoperability across systems.

Technically, VGA provided an analog RGB interface with separate horizontal and vertical synchronization signals. It supported multiple display modes, including 640 by 480 pixels with 16 colors and 320 by 200 pixels with up to 256 colors, depending on the mode. The original implementation used a few hundred kilobytes of video RAM and a fixed color palette, with the ability to switch between different timing and color configurations through software or firmware. Later VGA-compatible extensions diversified timing, resolutions, and memory arrangements, forming a broad ecosystem of compatible graphics hardware.

Impact and legacy: VGA quickly became the de facto standard for PC displays, guiding subsequent generations of graphics architectures such as SVGA and beyond. Its simple, universal connector facilitated plug-and-play compatibility across established and evolving systems. Even as digital interfaces like DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort emerged, VGA persisted as a widely used fallback and continues to appear on a large number of devices and projectors, sometimes via active adapters, highlighting its enduring role in computer display history.

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