diff --git a/frontend/Makefile b/frontend/Makefile
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..20ba1d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# adding cairo.pc
+export PKG_CONFIG_PATH:=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig/
+
+# programs
+CC = gcc
+PC=pkg-config
+RM=rm
+
+TARGET=frontend
+OBJS=Plot.o XWindow.o cairotest.o
+
+CFLAGS = -Wall `$(PC) --cflags cairomm-xlib-1.0`
+LIBS = -lm `$(PC) --libs cairomm-xlib-1.0`
+INC = -I/usr/include/cairomm-1.0/
+
+all: $(OBJS)
+	$(CC) $(OBJS) $(LIBS) -o $(TARGET)
+
+%.o: %.cpp
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(INC) -c -o $@ $<
+
+clean:
+	$(RM) frontend
+	$(RM) $(OBJS)
diff --git a/frontend/Plot.cpp b/frontend/Plot.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df81556
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/Plot.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+#include <math.h>
+#include <float.h>
+
+#include <iostream>
+
+#include "Plot.h"
+
+PlotSeries::PlotSeries(PlotSeries::Style style, Color color)
+  : color(color), style(style)
+{ }
+
+void PlotSeries::draw(RefPtr<Context> ctx) {
+	ctx->set_source_rgb(color.red, color.green, color.blue); /* set series color */
+
+	/* determine maxima and minima for autoscale */
+	double min = DBL_MAX, max = DBL_MIN;
+	for (std::list<double>::iterator it = begin(); it != end(); it++) {
+		if (*it > max) max = *it;
+		if (*it < min) min = *it;
+	}
+
+	/* stroke */
+
+	int width = 800;//dynamic_cast<RefPtr<XlibSurface>>(ctx->get_target())->get_width();
+	int height = 400;//dynamic_cast<RefPtr<XlibSurface>>(ctx->get_target())->get_height();
+
+	ctx->move_to(Plot::PADDING, (height/2) + (height-2*Plot::PADDING) * (front()/max));
+
+	int i = 0;
+	for (std::list<double>::iterator it = begin(); it != end(); it++) {
+		i++;
+		ctx->line_to(i * 2 + Plot::PADDING, (height/2) + (height-2*Plot::PADDING) * (*it/max*0.5));
+	}
+	ctx->stroke();
+}
+
+Plot::Plot(int width, int height)
+  : width(width), height(height)
+{
+	window = XWindow::create("Frontend", 1, 1, width, height);
+	surface = XlibSurface::create(window->getDisplay(), window->getWindow(), window->getVisual(), width, height);
+}
+
+void Plot::draw() {
+	RefPtr<Context> ctx = Context::create(surface);
+	ctx->set_antialias(ANTIALIAS_SUBPIXEL);
+
+	/* background */
+	ctx->set_source_rgb(0, 0, 0); /* black */
+	ctx->paint();
+
+	ctx->set_source_rgb(0, 0.7, 0.1); /* axis & tick color */
+	drawAxes(ctx);
+	drawTicks(ctx);
+
+	for (std::list<PlotSeries *>::iterator it = series.begin(); it != series.end(); it++) {
+		(*it)->draw(ctx);
+	}
+}
+
+void Plot::drawAxes(RefPtr<Context> ctx) {
+	ctx->set_line_width(1.8);
+
+	/* x-axis */
+	ctx->move_to(PADDING, height-PADDING);
+	ctx->line_to(width-PADDING, height-PADDING);
+	ctx->stroke();
+
+	/* y-axis */
+	ctx->move_to(PADDING, height-PADDING);
+	ctx->line_to(PADDING, PADDING);
+	ctx->stroke();
+
+	/* arrows (arcs) */
+	ctx->move_to(width-PADDING-2, height-PADDING-4);
+	ctx->line_to(width-PADDING+5, height-PADDING);
+	ctx->line_to(width-PADDING-2, height-PADDING+4);
+	ctx->stroke();
+
+	ctx->move_to(PADDING-4, PADDING+2);
+	ctx->line_to(PADDING, PADDING-5);
+	ctx->line_to(PADDING+4, PADDING+2);
+	ctx->stroke();
+}
+
+void Plot::drawTicks(RefPtr<Context> ctx) {
+	int ticks = 20;
+	int intv_x = (width-2*PADDING)/ticks;
+	int intv_y = (height-2*PADDING)/ticks;
+
+	ctx->set_line_width(1);
+
+	for (int i = 0; i < ticks; i++) {
+		/* x-axis */
+		ctx->move_to(PADDING + i*intv_x, height-PADDING-3);
+		ctx->line_to(PADDING + i*intv_x, height-PADDING+3);
+		ctx->stroke();
+
+		/* y-axis */
+		ctx->move_to(PADDING-3, PADDING + (i+1)*intv_y);
+		ctx->line_to(PADDING+3, PADDING + (i+1)*intv_y);
+		ctx->stroke();
+	}
+}
+
+Plot::~Plot() {
+
+}
diff --git a/frontend/Plot.h b/frontend/Plot.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e43f0c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/Plot.h
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#ifndef _PLOT_H_
+#define _PLOT_H_
+
+#include <list>
+#include <cairomm/cairomm.h>
+#include <cairomm/xlib_surface.h>
+
+#include "XWindow.h"
+
+using namespace Cairo;
+
+struct Color {
+	double red, green, blue, alpha;
+};
+
+class PlotSeries : public std::list<double> {
+
+  public:
+	Color color;
+	enum Style { STYLE_LINE, STYLE_SPLINE, STYLE_SCATTER } style;
+
+	PlotSeries(enum Style style, Color color);
+	void draw(RefPtr<Context> ctx);
+};
+
+class Plot {
+
+	friend class PlotSeries;
+
+  public:
+	Plot(int width = 400, int height = 300);
+	virtual ~Plot();
+
+	void draw();
+
+	std::list<PlotSeries *> series;
+
+  protected:
+	RefPtr<XWindow> window;
+	RefPtr<Surface> surface;
+
+	int width, height;
+
+	void drawAxes(RefPtr<Context> ctx);
+	void drawTicks(RefPtr<Context> ctx);
+
+	static const int PADDING = 20;
+};
+
+#endif /* _PLOT_H_ */
diff --git a/frontend/Plot.o b/frontend/Plot.o
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f15a33b
Binary files /dev/null and b/frontend/Plot.o differ
diff --git a/frontend/XWindow.cpp b/frontend/XWindow.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ae2ab2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/XWindow.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "XWindow.h"
+
+Display * XWindow::display = NULL;
+int XWindow::windows = 0;
+int XWindow::screen = 0;
+
+XException::XException(const char *reason) {
+	fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", reason);
+	exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+}
+
+XWindow::XWindow(const char *title, int x, int y, int width, int height, unsigned long background) {
+	Window rootWindow;
+
+	screen = XDefaultScreen(display);
+	rootWindow = XRootWindow(display, screen);
+
+	window = XCreateSimpleWindow(display, rootWindow, x, y, width, height, 0, 0, background);
+
+	XStoreName(display, window, title);
+	XSelectInput(display, window, ExposureMask | ButtonPressMask);
+	XMapWindow(display, window);
+}
+
+XWindow::~XWindow() {
+	windows--;
+
+	if (windows == 0) {
+		disconnect();
+	}
+}
+
+Display * XWindow::getDisplay() {
+	if (display == NULL) {
+		throw new XException("There exists no connection to an XServer!");
+	}
+
+	return display;
+}
+
+void XWindow::connect(std::string display_name) {
+	display = XOpenDisplay(display_name.c_str());
+
+	if (display == NULL) {
+		throw XException("Cannot open display!");
+	}
+}
+
+void XWindow::disconnect() {
+	XCloseDisplay(display);
+}
+
+Cairo::RefPtr<XWindow> XWindow::create(const char *title, int x, int y, int width, int height, unsigned long background) {
+	XWindow *win = new XWindow(title, x, y, width, height, background);
+	return Cairo::RefPtr<XWindow>(win);
+}
diff --git a/frontend/XWindow.h b/frontend/XWindow.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65ea58b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/XWindow.h
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+#ifndef _XWINDOW_H_
+#define _XWINDOW_H_
+
+#include <cairomm/refptr.h>
+#include <X11/Xlib.h>
+
+#include <string>
+
+class XException {
+  public:
+	XException(const char * reason);
+};
+
+class XWindow {
+
+  public:
+	XWindow(
+		const char *title,
+		int x = 1, int y = 1,
+		int width = 800, int height = 600,
+		unsigned long background = 0
+	);
+
+	virtual ~XWindow();
+
+	Window getWindow() { return window; };
+	Visual * getVisual() { return XDefaultVisual(display, screen); };
+
+	static Display * getDisplay();
+
+	static void connect(std::string display);
+	static void disconnect();
+
+	static Cairo::RefPtr<XWindow> create(
+		const char *title,
+		int x = 1, int y = 1,
+		int width = 800, int height = 600,
+		unsigned long background = 0
+	);
+
+protected:
+	Window window;
+
+	static Display *display;
+	static int screen;
+	static int windows; /* reference counter to open windows */
+};
+
+#endif /* _XWINDOW_H_ */
diff --git a/frontend/XWindow.o b/frontend/XWindow.o
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..53ef8be
Binary files /dev/null and b/frontend/XWindow.o differ
diff --git a/frontend/cairotest.cpp b/frontend/cairotest.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7542816
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/cairotest.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#include "XWindow.h"
+#include "Plot.h"
+
+#include <iostream>
+
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+using namespace Cairo;
+
+int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
+	XWindow::connect(":0"); // TODO parse from argv
+
+	XEvent e;
+	Color blue = { 0, 0, 1 };
+	Color red = { 1, 0, 0 };
+	Plot testPlot(800, 400);
+	Plot testPlot2(800, 400);
+
+	PlotSeries *demo1 = new PlotSeries(PlotSeries::STYLE_LINE, blue);
+	PlotSeries *demo2 = new PlotSeries(PlotSeries::STYLE_LINE, red);
+	testPlot.series.push_back(demo1);
+	testPlot2.series.push_back(demo2);
+
+	double phi = 0;
+	double last = 0;
+
+	while (1) {
+		phi += 1e-1;
+
+		last += -10 + rand()%21;
+
+		demo2->push_back(last);
+
+		if (demo2->size() > 400) demo2->pop_front();
+
+		demo1->clear();
+		for (int i = 0; i < 300; i++) {
+			demo1->push_back(0.7*sin(i*phi/1e3)*sin(i * (M_PI/30.0) + phi));
+		}
+
+		usleep(0.2*1e5);
+		testPlot.draw();
+		testPlot2.draw();
+	}
+}
diff --git a/frontend/cairotest.o b/frontend/cairotest.o
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..088565d
Binary files /dev/null and b/frontend/cairotest.o differ