Re: Image files

A word of warning on GIF and other LZW-based lossless compression algorithms --
they're proprietary. Simulator vendors be forewarned -- you may get more than you
bargained for if you agree to support it. See

http://www.unisys.com/unisys/lzw/
http://graphicssoft.about.com/compute/graphicssoft/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html

(sorry if the above URL wraps)

If I remember right when we looked into supporting it, the fees weren't unbearable as
much as we didn't care for the legal hassle of maintaining a license for it.
Furthermore, UniSys seems to be constantly changing their licensing policies. An
alternate public-domain format with significant growing support is PNG (Portable
Network Graphics).

  -- Steve

Mike LaBonte wrote:

> Possibly the guideline for image formats could be to limit them to
> the formats supported by commonly available web browsers. The list
> for Netscape, for example, is:
>
> GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
> JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
> XPM (X PixMap)
> XBM (X BitMap)
>
> And of course web browsers can display text, too. Taking this one
> step further, could we have a reference to an HTML file instead of
> just an image file name? The URL could point to local files, or to
> elsewhere on the web.
>
> I guess I am leaning in the direction of using web pages to show
> information that is not intended for machine parsing. Although an
> image file *could* be displayed in my own tool, I think I would
> settle for a "View data sheet" button.
>
> Mike
>
> apanella@molex.com wrote:
> >
> > As stated:
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > While the Connector Committee debated this point, I am wondering
> > if the image files could just be "recommended" as .jpg or .txt formats.
> > The statement "may be either" must be changed to "must be either"
> > or else "is recommended to be either". New formats might emerge.
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> > >From a model suppliers perspective.... I think that this is OK. However,
> > would that potentially make it real difficult for the simulator vendors? The
> > simulator vendor will then need to support many different type.... what ever
> > type the model supplier wants to supply. I am not sure that this is fair....???
> >
> > _gus
> > apanella@molex.com
> > 630-527-4617

--
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Steven D. Corey, Ph.D.
Time Domain Analysis Systems, Inc.
"The Interconnect Modeling Company."
http://www.tdasystems.com
email: steve@tdasystems.com
phone/fax: (206) 417-3439
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