ftp.nice.ch/pub/next/graphics/apps/ShowMe.README

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ShowMe v1.0
ShareWare $25

What? Another program to load various bitmap formats? Yep.

What makes it different? Well, other than the two "odd" formats, nothing. Except, this program knows nothing about how to load and save bitmaps.

The objects that load the bitmaps are contained in seperate files, which are kept in the /LocalLibrary or ~/Library. This way, new file formats can be added without recompiling the ShowMe program.

Currently, there are only the four FAMMs:

	·	TIFFFAMM, loads any TIFF accepted by the NeXT routines
	·	GIF87aFAMM, will load any GIF87a file
	·	APFFAMM, loads the Apple //gs Apple Preferred Format
	·	PaintWorksFAMM, loads Apple //gs PaintWorks Plus files
	
If I had documentation and pictures for other formats I could have written others. However, I can do it at any time. Modules are loaded at run time.

To install, make a directory ~/Library/FAMMs or /LocalLibary/FAMMs and copy all the *.famm directories and their contents into ~/Library/FAMMs or /LocalLibrary/FAMMs. When the program runs it will find them and load them in. No configuration files are necessary. If there are ever any new FAMMs available you can just stick them into either of those directories, and the program will use them too.

The FAMM modules can load more than just bitmaps, however, mine only work with those bitmaps listed above. (I didn't really feel like writing a word processor or draw program or whatever.) They can be written to load and/or save a file in any format. I only have one FAMM that will save, and that's the TIFF one. I don't know how to convert 16.7 million colors to 256 or 16, so I figured I better not do it. (I could have made up something, but it wouldn't have looked too good.)

There is just one object in ShowMe that deals with the FAMMs, so making any of my new software use the FAMMs should be easy. (Maybe I'll update Tracer.)

If you would like to write some new FAMMs, or use them in your own software contact me.

	Chris Osborn
	osborn@athena.ecs.csus.edu
	2883 Redwood Rd.
	Napa, CA  94558

These are the contents of the former NiCE NeXT User Group NeXTSTEP/OpenStep software archive, currently hosted by Netfuture.ch.