On Mon, 17 Aug 1998, Lawrence Lile wrote:

> Aha - so that's why there's resistance to GIFs.  I'm spoiled by
> AutoCad, it prints to almost anything (Except Gerber
> $%#^$%#%#$@^%#%!!!!!)

Gifs are not popular since the people who own the copyright on its main
(LZW) compression algorythm charge royalties for any GIF generator used
for commercial publishing or operations. The web is also getting off gifs
and into jpg.

BTW I have tried to convert schematics into jpg (which is 'lossy') and it
works very well with compression set to 75% and no (0) depletion.

> On my web page I've begun including schematics in a couple of
> different forms.  Maybe I'll begin including PS files as well...
>
> What we need is a StarTrek-like Universal Translator built into any
> graphics format reader.  Gifs, Tiffs, Biffs, Miffs, Gerber,
> Flubber, Whatever, no problem.  Hey you software guys, get off your
> duffs!

 There is something that is nearly that, under Linux. It's actually
shareware but uncrippled, and it's called XV. Comes with any Linux
distribution. Can do much more than display images (color correction etc).
I'm using it to turn schematics printed to file from a schematics drawing
package, through a pbm converter that I wrote, into anything I like.

Most DOS-based picture viewers also understand nearly all formats.

<flameproof suit on>

Could it be possible that one certain (16 color) BMP format be used for
this ? Knowing that the format is old, supported by free/shareware viewing
tools, including under DOS and other OSes ?

<off>

FYI XV also does BMP.

I still maintain that a vector-based format in ASCII representation is
superior in every way imho.

Peter