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From: jmunkki@hila.hut.fi (Juri Munkki)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: BAD NEWS FOR MAC -> NEXT PEOPLE
Message-ID: <1990Dec1.235150.19722@santra.uucp>
Date: 1 Dec 90 23:51:50 GMT
References: <1040@toaster.SFSU.EDU> <SCOTT.90Dec1000708@mcs-server.gac.edu> <36428@cup.portal.com>
Sender: news@santra.uucp (Cnews - USENET news system)
Reply-To: jmunkki@hila.hut.fi (Juri Munkki)
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, FINLAND
Lines: 48

In <36428@cup.portal.com> mingo@cup.portal.com (Charles Hawkins Mingo) writes:
>scott@gac.edu (Scott Hess) writes:
>>Maybe you should rephrase this as "PLEASE decide on a graphic interchange
>>standard _compatible_with_what_I_want_to_interchange_ NOW".  I believe
>>TIFF _is_ a graphic interchange standard, _much_ more so than QuickDraw
>>or PICT, that much is for certain, because it's not proprietary (the
>>specs are widely published).
>
>	Maybe you should learn a bit more about the mac before expressing an
>opinion.  PICT and QuickDraw specs were published five years ago (Tech Note 
>#21), when NeXT was just a glimmer in Steve's eye.

The original PICT format (PICT 1) was described in that technical
note and all important parts of it are quite possible to decipher
on a non-Mac. Of course it can contain region data and Apple doesn't
officially document regions, so unless you know how regions work,
you can't really transfer pictures to a machine without QuickDraw.

Then came Color QuickDraw and Apple saw a need for a new PICT format
(called PICT 2). PICT 2 is is described in Inside Macintosh V. If you
try to read a PICT 2 with a PICT 1 reader, you get a blank picture.
Tough luck. PICT 2 could be read with the documentation in IM V, except
that there is no documentation on pixel maps are packed and stored (if
they are packed). So unless you know how they are stored, you can't have
pixel maps.

The latest thing is 32 bit QuickDraw. I don't have the documentation
for that, but I seem to remember that it had some new things to add
to PICT 2.

The best way to get Macintosh graphics to a NeXT would seem to be
PostScript. After all, Apple supplies a QuickDraw to PostScript
converter in its laserwriter printer drivers. Of course it needs
a largish library file, since it doesn't produce native PostScript,
but at least it is possible (with some editing, I think) to move
QuickDraw files to the NeXT as PostScript.

As you see, one could argue that QuickDraw pictures are documented,
but then again they somehow forgot to document everything and clearly
say that PICTs are for Macs only, since only Macs really know how
read and draw them.

Don't take wrong...PICTs are great...if you have a Macintosh.

   ____________________________________________________________________________
  / Juri Munkki	    /  Helsinki University of Technology   /  Wind  / Project /
 / jmunkki@hut.fi  /  Computing Center Macintosh Support  /  Surf  /  STORM  /
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