Xref: utzoo comp.graphics:16003 alt.graphics.pixutils:721
Path: utzoo!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen
From: davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics,alt.graphics.pixutils
Subject: Re: Image file format poll results
Message-ID: <3181@sixhub.UUCP>
Date: 16 Feb 91 03:33:40 GMT
References: <1991Feb12.120203@Unify.com>
Reply-To: davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (bill davidsen)
Followup-To: comp.graphics
Organization: *IX Public Access UNIX, Schenectady NY
Lines: 34

In article <1991Feb12.120203@Unify.com> raveling@Unify.com (Paul Raveling) writes:

| 	    ..  If ultimate standards are to be accepted, it will be
| 		necessary to have them supported by virtually all
| 		major vendors of workstations, PC's, and other image-using
| 		systems.  Are any established consortiums prepared
| 		to participate in this?

  Well, no, actually. If GIF is supported by major vendors of
workstations is news to me. If was developed for Compu$erve, and they
has PC and Mac (and maybe Amiga) viewers written for it. Better viewers,
and viewers for other machines were written by private individuals,
small companies, etc.

  PMBPLUS is based on the work of one person, augmented by the work of
many others, and as far as I know is supported by the public in general,
not any commercial companies.

  Perhaps you should develop some really good format and let the public
make it popular because it's better than all the rest. If it's good,
people will write versions for many machines. If the first
implementation is good it will port to many machines without much
effort.

  If you have a good idea it will take off unless you work hard to hold
it down. Examples are GNU software, netnews, X-windows, GIF, ZIP, etc.
There's no need at all for commercial involvement. If you have a bad
idea, the only way to make it common is to have IBM adopt it as a
standard, and *nothing* will make it popular.
-- 
bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen)
    sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX
    moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me