ftp.nice.ch/pub/next/graphics/filter/NetImageFilter.README

This is the README for NetImageFilter.1.1.s.tar.gz [Download] [Browse] [Up]

Copyright ©1995 by Netsurfer, Inc., All Rights Reserved.


Introduction

The NetImageFilter service is an Image Filter that minimally can convert all GIF and JPEG/JFIF images to TIFF for any application that uses the NXImage class (pretty much any NEXTSTEP application that displays images).  When the netpbm or imagetools packages of image processing and conversion tools are installed, NetImageFilter can convert 40 different image formats with 94 different extensions to tiff. 

Because NetImageFilter attempts to use the SurfImage library to filter images before searching for a command line oriented filter tool, any of the image formats supported by SurfImage (currently JPEG/JFIF, TIFF, and GIF 89a) are supported by NetImageFilter and will decode faster than using the command line utilities.  As well, as new image formats are added to the SurfImage library, NetImageFilter will automatically be able to convert the new image types merely by adding the image types to the services file and recompiling NetImageFilter.

Sponsorship

NetImageFilter and SurfImage were developed by Bill Bumgarner <bbum@friday.com> with support from Netsurfer, Inc.  Both are unsupported products, but sending email to <bbum@friday.com> will likely result in a response or a new release.

Netsurfer, Inc has been kind enough to allow the author to distribute both SurfImage and NetImageFilter under the MiscKit License-- you are free to use the source and binaries for any purpose.  The author asks that you send email to <bbum@friday.com> before redistributing the code/binaries or before incorporating the code into existing projects;  it is not a requirement, but would be polite.

For their kindness, the author asks that you check out Netsurfer's most excellent internet resource browser!  Visit http://www.netsurfer.com or download a demo copy of Netsurfer.app from your nearest archive site (the latest version can always be found at ftp://ftp.thoughtport.com/pub/next/Netsurfer).  

As well, ThoughtPort Authority has kindly provided the author of these packages with the best internet connection the author has ever enjoyed using.  No downtime, no problems-- just good connectivity!  Please visit ThoughtPort and give them business so they continue to support these kinds of development efforts-- http://www.thoughtport.com.

It is likely that the latest information in regards to this and other software packages written or maintained by the author will be available within the friday.com domain.  Visit http://www.friday.com for more information.

Installation

To install NetImageFilter, double click the Installer package named NetImageFilter.pkg.  The service should be installed in /LocalLibrary/Services or the Library/Services directory in the user's home directory (you may have to create ~/Library/Services).

Once the service is installed, either log out and log back in or execute the command make_services in a shell window (Terminal).  If you would like to see a list of all of the services currently active within your account, execute 'make_services -v | open' in a shell window. 

Bugs

There are no bugs.

When you find a bug or other anti-feature, please send a full description of the bug to <bbum@friday.com>.

History

NetImageFilter was orginally written by Marco Scheurer of Sente Sarl.  Bill Bumgarner of Friday Software & Consulting obtained the source from Marco and mostly re-wrote the code into the form it is in now. 

netpbm/imagetools

NetImageFilter searches high and low for any of the binaries provided with the netpbm package of image conversion and processing tools.  The netpbm package supports a huge number of image formats and also provides a bunch of excellent, but simple image manipulation tools.

The following is a list of all the directories within which NetImageFilter searches for the netpbm binaries:

~/Unix/bin
~/Unix/netpbm
~/Unix/netpbm/bin
~/Unix/imagetools
~/Unix/imagetools/bin
/LocalDeveloper/bin
/LocalDeveloper/netpbm
/LocalDeveloper/netpbm/bin
/LocalDeveloper/imagetools
/LocalDeveloper/imagetools/bin
/LocalApps
/LocalApps/netpbm
/LocalApps/netpbm/bin
/LocalApps/imagetools
/LocalApps/imagetools/bin
/usr/local/bin
/usr/local/netpbm
/usr/local/netpbm/bin
/usr/local/imagetools
/usr/local/imagetools/bin

If you happen to have installed the netpbm tools somewhere else, NetImageFilter checks a number of defaults to determine if it should search on some other path.  It firsts attempts to read the default of the same name as the converter (for example, 'pcxtoppm').  If it doesn't find a filter there, it then looks for the filter by family name (ie; it looks up the default by the name 'netpbm').  All defaults are owned by 'NetImageFilter'.

If all else fails, NetImageFilter executes 'which <<filtername>>' and uses the resulting path.

The latest version of netpbm (compiled using the latest version of libtiff and libjpeg) can be found at:

ftp://ftp.thoughtport.com/pub/next/graphics/

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