Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-ncis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!hplabs!hpfcdc!hpfclm!hpfcdj!myers
From: myers@hpfcdj.HP.COM (Bob Myers)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: the word "bitmap"
Message-ID: <17670001@hpfcdj.HP.COM>
Date: 4 Jan 89 18:11:05 GMT
References: <8568@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: Hewlett Packard -- Fort Collins, CO
Lines: 19

>I hope the new usage doesn't catch on, because the old, correct meaning of
>"bitmap" fills a niche, and the new meaning is redundant (we don't need
>another synonym for "image" and "picture").  If you see people misusing the
>word "bitmap", correct them!

Gee, I dunno - I agree with your explanation of the origin of "bitmap", i.e.,
a one-bit-per-pixel representation of an image, but I'm not at all sure that
the "new" context ("Hey, you got any new 24-bit bitmaps?") isn't filling a
need.  The words "image" and "picture" do not, at least to me, convey any
idea of a fixed resolution, whereas we all recognize "bitmap" as meaning,
say, an "image" which has been scanned (or generated or whatever) at, say,
1280x1024x16 (your numbers may vary).  "Bytemap" or "wordmap" (same 
disclaimer) may be more technically accurate for this concept, but I think
that they're too clumsy to gain much acceptance.


Bob Myers  KC0EW   HP Graphics Tech. Div.|  Opinions expressed here are not
                   Ft. Collins, Colorado |  those of my employer or any other
{the known universe}!hplabs!hpfcla!myers |  sentient life-form on this planet.