Date   : Wed, 13 Jan 1993 10:39:06 +0000 (GMT)
From   : "I Stephenson" <ian@...>
Subject: Graphics Library+bits

> Last year (sorry, the year b4 last !) I wrote a program to
> "convert/filter/whatever-u-like" PPM files (Portable PixMap) into VDU codes.
> I used it to display images (GIF/JPEG/etc.) on my Beeb at home while logged
> into Uni. over the modem. And it displayed them in REAL colour too! (using
> ppmquant to convert images to 3-bit colour in MODE2 or 2 bit colour in MODE1
> - sounds sh*t - looked great - for the beeb anyhow :)
>

So where can we get this wonderfull pice of software?
2bit colour isn't too bad for viewing images - the NeXT I use has 2bit grayscale,
and still manages to make a good go of it (though of course its higher resolution).

The toolkit I've been developing is a set of objects (buttons, sliders, 
panels etc) to facilitate mouse based software. Its an attempt at a (very) 
simple NeXTStep copy - just enough to allow me to port my programs to X. 
I've deliberatly avoided using such features as bitplanes to enable me to
port to other platforms. Targetting to BBC codes would be simple, but it
requires objective C on the host machine.

GNU CC almost supports this (there's no runtime just yet) so the Arc is 
a possible, and a commmercial compiler is available for most other platforms,
but the only place its common is on NeXT's. Its an excellent language - much
better than C++, as its far closer to smalltalk. Expect to see it takeover
the world real soon!

If anyone has access to Obj C then I'll mail them the X targetted version,
and we can sort something out. Otherwise I'll consider doing the conversion
ready for when GNU Obj C starts working.

> AMX Pagemaker...yup...not to bad...bit clumsy on the Beeb though,
>swapping discs all the time. Works better with a RAM disc.
But if I put it on a hard disc...

>Don't BEEBUG sell a C compiler for the Beeb?
As did Acorn - I've got a manual for one of these (can't remmeber which)
but never got the software itself. I've got Acorn's ISO Pascal which is excellent
(if you like pascal) so it is possible to write real compilers.

>  Mik (currently trying to write a decent version of tetris for the beeb)
Gimmie! Gimmie!

Ian