Xref: utzoo comp.graphics:7362 comp.windows.misc:1193 comp.windows.x:13152
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!sun-barr!apple!well!pokey
From: pokey@well.UUCP (Jef Poskanzer)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics,comp.windows.misc,comp.windows.x
Subject: PBMPLUS (color PBM) is ready for beta test.
Message-ID: <13500@well.UUCP>
Date: 7 Sep 89 04:34:15 GMT
Reply-To: Jef Poskanzer 
Organization: Paratheo-Anametamystikhood Of Eris Esoteric, Ada Lovelace Cabal
Lines: 80

The long-rumored color extensions to the Portable BitMap package are
now ready for initial distribution.  This is the first new version since
31oct88, and the package has grown by about a factor of four.  It now
includes 72 programs and 197 files.  Appended to this announcement is
a list of the formats supported.

The package is broken up into four parts.  First is PBM, for bitmaps (1
bit per pixel).  Then there is PGM, for grayscale images.  Next is PPM,
for full-color images.  Last, there is PNM, which does content-independent
manipulations on any of the three formats.

Three other important changes are that the programs use much less memory,
run much faster, and generate much smaller temp files (upward compatibly).

My distribution plan is: first, via FTP as:
    expo.lcs.mit.edu:contrib/pbmplus.tar.Z
For those who still don't have name resolvers, the decimal address of
expo is 18.30.0.212.  Don't forget to set binary mode when you retrieve
it, and please don't FTP during working hours (9 am to 6 pm eastern
time).  Then, after waiting a few days for any obvious problems to
surface, I'll post it to alt.sources.  Finally, after a suitable
beta-test period, I'll post it to whatever moderated sources group is
working (currently comp.sources.misc).  That version will also show up
on expo, and perhaps even in the X.V11R4 release.

There is currently one known bug: the g3topbm FAX-reader does not work.
I hope to get it working soon, but I've been sitting on this package for
so long that I decided to release it anyway.

Enjoy.
---
Jef

    Jef Poskanzer  pokey@well.sf.ca.us  {ucbvax, apple, hplabs}!well!pokey
  "There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: (1) not
             going all the way; and (2) not starting." -- Buddha

- - - - - - - - - -

PBM handles the following formats:

    Sun icon file				reading	writing
    Sun raster file				reading	writing
    X10 and X11 bitmap file			reading	writing
    MacPaint					reading	writing
    CMU window manager format			reading	writing
    MGR format					reading	writing
    X11 window dump file			reading	writing
    X10 window dump file			reading
    Xerox doodle brushes			reading
    Group 3 FAX					reading
    GEM .img format				reading
    PC paintbrush (.pcx) format			reading
    TIFF					reading
    ASCII graphics					writing
    HP LaserJet format					writing
    GraphOn graphics					writing
    BBN BitGraph graphics				writing
    Printronix format					writing

PGM handles the following formats:

    Usenix FaceSaver file			reading
    HIPS					reading
    FITS					reading
    PostScript "image" data			reading
    Encapsulated PostScript				writing

PPM handles the following formats:

    color Sun raster file			reading	writing
    GIF						reading	writing
    Amiga IFF ILBM				reading	writing
    color X11 window dump file			reading	writing
    color X10 window dump file			reading
    MTV ray-tracer output			reading
    QRT ray-tracer output			reading
    TrueVision Targa file			reading
    Img-whatnot file				reading
    color Encapsulated PostScript			writing