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fractint-digest       Saturday, December 8 2001       Volume 01 : Number 616




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 05 Dec 2001 16:41:04 -0600
From: Tim Wegner <[e-mail]>
Subject: (fractint) Possible change in the fractint list

I have been having some problems with majordomo in administering the
fractint and fractdev lists. The kind xmission folks who host this
list are suggesting that I move to different (newer) software -
mailman. If this happens, I may be able to just move the list members

to the new software, or I may just ask members to sign on to the new
list when it comes on line.

This is just a heads up. I am not sure what the timing will be. I may

consider other hosts also if I am making a change, though I must say
that the xmission relationship has worked very well for us, with only

a few problems, so staying with them is fine with me as long as they
will have us.

If anyone has any thoughts on majordomo vs mailman or other list
software or hosts, I suggest we declare this "on topic" for this list

for a short while.

Tim Wegner
fractint/fractdev list administrator


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------------------------------

Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2001 10:13:05 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (fractint) FOTD  06-12-01  (Honeycombed Midget [7])

FOTD -- December 06, 2001 (Rating 7)

Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:

I'm a bit busier today than I would prefer to be, so the
discussion will have to be relatively short.

Well, we don't have the third FOTD in a row that rates an 8,
but today's rating of 7 comes pretty close.  The formula takes
Z^(-12.5), adds 10 times as much Z^(-1.25), then adds (1/C), to
create a fractal with more convolutions than a government
bureaucracy.

This parent fractal is indescribable, but contains many bays and
valleys.  Today's midget is located on the shoreline of one of
these valleys, in an area with elements that resemble those of a
Julia set.  This area would never be expected to hold midgets.
I looked there only because I often look for midgets where none
are expected.

The unusual appearance of today's image is a result of setting
both the inside and outside to <fmod>, with a proximity of 1.
The name, "Honeycombed Midget" has little relevance to the
image.  The name was given to an earlier version, and carried
over to the present version because I like the sound of the
name.

The parameter file renders in 8 minutes on my outdated machine.
The already rendered image downloads in less time from:

          <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html>

or from:

          <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html>

The fractal weather Wednesday here at Fractal Central was like
mid-summer, with blue skies, fluffy white cumulus clouds, and a
temperature of 75F 24C.  The fractal cats, who enjoy summer,
were happy all afternoon, even in the shade of the holly trees.
Their only irritation came when the day ended early, but these
are the shortest days of the year here at latitude 39N, and the
sun is gone by 4:30pm.

And I had better get going on the day's work if I hope to have
it finished by the time this shortened day ends.  Until next
FOTD, take care, and what will tomorrow bring?


Jim Muth
[e-mail]
[e-mail]


START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================

Honeycombed_Midget { ; time=0:07:55.82--SF5 on a P200
  reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm
  formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1
  center-mag=+1.87898498897471100/+0.564898033124445\
  90/10315.45/1/32.5/2.26459337393514204e-011
  params=1/-12.5/10/-1.25/0/525 float=y maxiter=1200
  inside=fmod proximity=1 outside=fmod
  colors=000tKCtJCtHCsGCsEEqGCqGEpGEpGFnGGnGGmGHmGJl\
  HJlHKkHLjJEhKFgLGfMHdOJcPKbQLaSN_TOZUPYWRWXSVYTT_V\
  S`WR`YP`ZO`_O`aO`bO`cO`dO`fP_gO`hO`jO_kO_lOYlNYkNX\
  kNXkNWjNWjNUjLUhLThLThLSgLSgLQgKQfKPfKPfKOdKOdJMcJ\
  McJMbKMbKMaKM_LM_LMZLMYNMYNMWNMVOMVOMTPMSPMSPMRRMP\
  ROPROOSONSONSOLTOKTOKTOJVOHVOHWOGWOFWOFYOEYOCYOCZO\
  BZO9ZP9_P8_P7_P7aP5aP4bP4bP3bP1cP1cP0cP0dP0dP0dP0f\
  P0fP0gQ0fP0dO0dO0cM0bL0bL0aK0_J0_J0ZH0YG0YG0WE0WE0\
  VD0TC0TC0SA0R90R90P81O61O61N51L53O61O61P81P81R91R9\
  1SA1SA1TC1TC1VD1VD1WE1WE1YF1YF1YF1ZF1ZF1_F5_FAaFFa\
  FKbFPbFUcFZcFceFceFcfFcfFcfFcgFchFciFciFcjFcjGckHc\
  kIclJclKcmLcmMcnNcoOcpPcpQcpRcqScrTcsUcsVctWctXcuY\
  cuZcv_cw`cxacxbcyccxdcyeczfczgczhazi_zjYzkWzlUzmSz\
  nQzoOzpMzqKzrIzrUzrEzqCzpAzo5zn3zm4zl4zk4zj4zi4zh5\
  zg5zf5ye5yd5xc7xb7wa7w`7v_7vZ8uY8tX8sW8rV8qU9pT9oS\
  9nR9mQ9lPBkOBjNBiMBhLBgKC
  }

frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth
a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2),
g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j,
k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel):
z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c,
|z| < l
}

END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 09:21:57 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (fractint) FOTD  07-12-01  (Golden Chrysanthemum [6])

FOTD -- December 07, 2001 (Rating 6)

Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:

Life is filled with disappointments.  I still remember the
disappointment I felt as a child, when I discovered that
professional wrestling is a performing art rather than a
competitive sport.  I felt the same disappointment when I
realized that baseball is more about making money than having
fun playing a game.  I never really believed in the Easter bunny
or Santa Claus, but I did believe Ripley.  Perhaps the biggest
let-down of all came when I realized that some of Ripley's
impossible "Believe it or Not" wonders were in fact untrue.

All these let-downs were justified in the late 1980's however,
when I discovered fractals.  Life has never been the same since.

Today's slightly above average fractal image reminds me of a
golden chrysanthemum, so that's what I named it.  The image is
actually a scene lying in the suburbs of a larger midget, which
is located near a still larger midget, which lies north and west
of an indescribable parent.

The scene is disconnected from its parent.  This disconnection
is reflected in the golden rings surrounding the midget, which
form concentric circles in no way joined to each other or to the
midget they surround.  The whole assemblage resembles a flower
such as a chrysanthemum or aster, and makes a pleasant enough
picture to rate a 6.

The parameter file runs in three minutes; the completed GIF
image downloads from:

          <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html>

or from:

          <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html>

in even less time.

The weather Thursday here at Fractal Central was once again
summer-like, with blue skies, gentle breezes, and a temperature
of 73F 23C.  Cats of the fractal variety enjoy such conditions,
and Thomas and Tippy are no exception.  The dynamic duo passed
the afternoon sleeping in their chairs on the porch, opening
their eyes occasionally to be sure that no unwanted cats were
intruding.

Since it's the last day of the work week and there's still work
to be done, I had best get busy.  But I'll return with more
goodies in 24 hours.  Until then, take care, and accentuate the
fractal positive.


Jim Muth
[e-mail]
[e-mail]


START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================

Gold_Chrysanthemum { ; time=0:03:18.50--SF5 on a P200
  reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm
  formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1
  center-mag=-0.47904926844684050/+2.689928561895989\
  00/7.255801e+011/1/45.0104028392414861/-0.01121875\
  11152195482 params=1/-12.5/10/-1.25/0/525 float=y
  maxiter=550 inside=0 logmap=63
  colors=00087aA8`BBZDDYEGWGHVHKTILRKOQLQONTNOVLQYKR\
  ZITaHRcEReBVg8Yj7`l5co4dp2gt1ju0mx0pz0rz0uz0xz0zz0\
  zz0zz0zz0wz0rz1oz5jzAezEazIZzLVzQQzVLzZIzcEzgAzl5z\
  p2zt7wrBtpGppKmoOjmRgmWdl`aldZjiWilTipQguNezKezHdz\
  EdzGezHizIlzIoxKrwOuuTxmYzeazZezRezKezDdz5cw4ar4`o\
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  wL7zNEtOKlQQdRYYTcQViIWpBYw4Zz0Zz0OzVGzzNzzTzzZwzd\
  uzjuzpuzmuzjuzguzeuzcuz`uzYuxWuxTuwQuuNutLutIurGup\
  EupDurBurAur8ut7ut5ut4uu2uu2uu7utBurEurIupLupQuoTu\
  mYum`uldulgujluiouitugwugzuizuizuizuizuizuizumpuri\
  uu`uzRuzKuzLuzNuwOurOumQugRucRuZTuVVuOVuKWuGYuBYu7\
  IuV4up0uz0uz7uzGuzOuxNuwNuwLuuLuuKuuKutKutIutIurHu\
  rHurGupGupGupEulDugBucBuZAuV8wQ8zL7zH5zD5z84z42z02\
  z0Iz0Zz0oz0xz8zzKzzVazc2zj1zl0zm0zo0zo0zp0zr0zt0zt\
  0zu0zw0zx0zx0zz0zz0zz0zz0zx0zt4zoAzjEzgKzcQzZVzV`z\
  QdzNjzIpzEDzrHztLztOztTzt
  }

frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth
a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2),
g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j,
k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel):
z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c,
|z| < l
}

END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 11:41:17 -0600
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (fractint) FOTD  07-12-01  (Golden Chrysanthemum [6])

The site screams for a sight of:

"the dynamic duo"; "Cats of the fractal variety . . . . ."

D. Freed

[e-mail] wrote:

> FOTD -- December 07, 2001 (Rating 6)
>
> Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:
>
> Life is filled with disappointments.  I still remember the
> disappointment I felt as a child, when I discovered that
> professional wrestling is a performing art rather than a
> competitive sport.  I felt the same disappointment when I
> realized that baseball is more about making money than having
> fun playing a game.  I never really believed in the Easter bunny
> or Santa Claus, but I did believe Ripley.  Perhaps the biggest
> let-down of all came when I realized that some of Ripley's
> impossible "Believe it or Not" wonders were in fact untrue.
>
> All these let-downs were justified in the late 1980's however,
> when I discovered fractals.  Life has never been the same since.
>
> Today's slightly above average fractal image reminds me of a
> golden chrysanthemum, so that's what I named it.  The image is
> actually a scene lying in the suburbs of a larger midget, which
> is located near a still larger midget, which lies north and west
> of an indescribable parent.
>
> The scene is disconnected from its parent.  This disconnection
> is reflected in the golden rings surrounding the midget, which
> form concentric circles in no way joined to each other or to the
> midget they surround.  The whole assemblage resembles a flower
> such as a chrysanthemum or aster, and makes a pleasant enough
> picture to rate a 6.
>
> The parameter file runs in three minutes; the completed GIF
> image downloads from:
>
>           <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html>
>
> or from:
>
>           <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html>
>
> in even less time.
>
> The weather Thursday here at Fractal Central was once again
> summer-like, with blue skies, gentle breezes, and a temperature
> of 73F 23C.  Cats of the fractal variety enjoy such conditions,
> and Thomas and Tippy are no exception.  The dynamic duo passed
> the afternoon sleeping in their chairs on the porch, opening
> their eyes occasionally to be sure that no unwanted cats were
> intruding.
>
> Since it's the last day of the work week and there's still work
> to be done, I had best get busy.  But I'll return with more
> goodies in 24 hours.  Until then, take care, and accentuate the
> fractal positive.
>
> Jim Muth
> [e-mail]
> [e-mail]
>
> START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================
>
> Gold_Chrysanthemum { ; time=0:03:18.50--SF5 on a P200
>   reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm
>   formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1
>   center-mag=-0.47904926844684050/+2.689928561895989\
>   00/7.255801e+011/1/45.0104028392414861/-0.01121875\
>   11152195482 params=1/-12.5/10/-1.25/0/525 float=y
>   maxiter=550 inside=0 logmap=63
>   colors=00087aA8`BBZDDYEGWGHVHKTILRKOQLQONTNOVLQYKR\
>   ZITaHRcEReBVg8Yj7`l5co4dp2gt1ju0mx0pz0rz0uz0xz0zz0\
>   zz0zz0zz0wz0rz1oz5jzAezEazIZzLVzQQzVLzZIzcEzgAzl5z\
>   p2zt7wrBtpGppKmoOjmRgmWdl`aldZjiWilTipQguNezKezHdz\
>   EdzGezHizIlzIoxKrwOuuTxmYzeazZezRezKezDdz5cw4ar4`o\
>   4`l2Zi2Ye2Wa2VZ1TW1RT1QQ1QN4NR7LW8I`BHdDEiGDmHArK8\
>   wL7zNEtOKlQQdRYYTcQViIWpBYw4Zz0Zz0OzVGzzNzzTzzZwzd\
>   uzjuzpuzmuzjuzguzeuzcuz`uzYuxWuxTuwQuuNutLutIurGup\
>   EupDurBurAur8ut7ut5ut4uu2uu2uu7utBurEurIupLupQuoTu\
>   mYum`uldulgujluiouitugwugzuizuizuizuizuizuizumpuri\
>   uu`uzRuzKuzLuzNuwOurOumQugRucRuZTuVVuOVuKWuGYuBYu7\
>   IuV4up0uz0uz7uzGuzOuxNuwNuwLuuLuuKuuKutKutIutIurHu\
>   rHurGupGupGupEulDugBucBuZAuV8wQ8zL7zH5zD5z84z42z02\
>   z0Iz0Zz0oz0xz8zzKzzVazc2zj1zl0zm0zo0zo0zp0zr0zt0zt\
>   0zu0zw0zx0zx0zz0zz0zz0zz0zx0zt4zoAzjEzgKzcQzZVzV`z\
>   QdzNjzIpzEDzrHztLztOztTzt
>   }
>
> frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth
> a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2),
> g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j,
> k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel):
> z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c,
> |z| < l
> }
>
> END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for using Fractint, The Fractals and Fractint Discussion List
> Post Message:   [e-mail]
> Get Commands:   [e-mail] "help"
> Administrator:  [e-mail]
> Unsubscribe:    [e-mail] "unsubscribe fractint"


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 20:56:09 -0600
From: "Paul N. Lee" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (fractint) Vicious Rumor...

There has been talk from the Developer section of possibly modifying
FractInt to the point it might mean saved PAR files would not generate
the same image as it did when the parameters were saved.  This would put
the issue of backwards compatability at stake.

Apparently not enough individuals have demonstrated a public interest to
show the Developers that old PAR files are worth keeping.  Any "artists"
out there concerned about their past works??

Sincerely,
P.N.L.
- --------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.fractalus.com/cgi-bin/theway?ring=fractals&id=43&go

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 22:12:38 -0500
From: Mike Traynor <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (fractint) Vicious Rumor...

Paul

> There has been talk from the Developer section of possibly modifying
> FractInt to the point it might mean saved PAR files would not generate
> the same image as it did when the parameters were saved.  This would put
> the issue of backwards compatability at stake.
>
> Apparently not enough individuals have demonstrated a public interest to
> show the Developers that old PAR files are worth keeping.  Any "artists"
> out there concerned about their past works??

If you open it up to enthusiastic Fractint users who don't have delusions
of being artists, I'd be dismayed to see all the par files I have rendered
incompatible with future versions of Fractint.  That said, if they were
convertible by manipulation of the text files, it would alleviate my concern.

Mike

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 22:27:26 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: (fractint) Vicious Rumor...

Hi Paul,

I have a HUGE collection of pars, both my own, which go back to about 1990
and many, many others. A few of my pars generate "correctly" only with
Fraction 17.3 or earlier, so I have archived the old version just to be able
to regenerate the images. I can understand the old change, which was because
of a bug, but I would be very unhappy if a new version of Fractint would
force me to archive another version just so I could continue to regenerate
the old images. Tim, is the rumor true??

Ron Barnett

- -----Original Message-----
From: [e-mail]
[mailto:[e-mail]]On Behalf Of Paul N. Lee
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 9:56 PM
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (fractint) Vicious Rumor...


There has been talk from the Developer section of possibly modifying
FractInt to the point it might mean saved PAR files would not generate
the same image as it did when the parameters were saved.  This would put
the issue of backwards compatability at stake.

Apparently not enough individuals have demonstrated a public interest to
show the Developers that old PAR files are worth keeping.  Any "artists"
out there concerned about their past works??

Sincerely,
P.N.L.
- --------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.fractalus.com/cgi-bin/theway?ring=fractals&id=43&go

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Post Message:   [e-mail]
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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 22:36:00 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (fractint) Vicious Rumor...

As one who'd like to sell some images and resell some older ones, I'd hope
that a par will generate the same image in each version of Fractint.  I
shudder to think of all my old parfile being lost to me.  If the old par
files could be made usable through batch-able text corrections utility that
would be good, too.  If they can't i'll be hanging onto my old version and
hoping that it will still be archived against the need to correctly render my
old stuff.

~renrad

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 21:52:30 -0600
From: Tim Wegner <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (fractint) Vicious Rumor...

Paul wrote:

> "Vicious Rumor..."

Geesh Paul, calm down! <grin!>

> There has been talk from the Developer section of possibly modifying
> FractInt to the point it might mean saved PAR files would not generate
> the same image as it did when the parameters were saved.  This would put
> the issue of backwards compatability at stake.

This is a somewhat (!) melodramatic exaggeration of what we were
talking about. What we were talking about was a peculiarity Jonathan
rediscovered in the Julia algorithm.  A way to see it is to compare
MarksJulia with parameters .3, .6 to the default Julia. This should
be the same as the default Julia, but one color ring is missing and
all the other colors off by one color. This is a idiosyncracy of
Fractint's original Mandelbrot algorthm as coded by Bert Tyler.

If we "fix" this sort of thing it might break exact backward
compatability.

A way we have dealt with this in the past is to key off the version
number stored in PAR files. All PAR files start with reset=<version>.
We have generally gone to a lot of trouble to make old PARs render
correctly. Jonathan could tell you a lot about this. We look at the
version stored in the PAR file, and use the old version's algorithm
when rendering an old PAR. The price we pay is that we have to code
both the old and the new algorithm.

> Apparently not enough individuals have demonstrated a public interest to
> show the Developers that old PAR files are worth keeping.  Any "artists"
> out there concerned about their past works??

The exact quote of what I wrote is:

BEGIN QUOTE
In the past, we would be very loath to change something like this
because our artists would go nuts wanting to protect their legacy
images. But since we don't hear from them anymore, I'm not sure it
matters. But while fractint is no longer a dominant program, it still
does have a following.

Let me pose a question to this list. Is Fractint backward
compatability still an issue for you? Do you mind if we eliminate
quirks and make the program more uniform, or are you concerned that
legacy images render the same.

Hmmm - upon reflection, since we have things like Jim's "fractal of
the day", there still are accumulating libraries of PAR files. Maybe
it is important that we keep backward compatibility so as much as
possible fractint renders old PAR files the way it used to.
END QUOTE

As you see I was thinking out loud, and raised a question, then gave
my own answer. The "vicious rumor" was actually a question to see
what folks think, not a statement. (I actually forgot which list I
was in and thought I was asking folks in this list.)

So much for the vicious rumor <grin!>

At this stage in Fractint's life cycle we certainly would not do
anything rash to break backwards compatability. My suggestion for
Jonathan's original query would be to try to emulate Fractint's
idiosyncracies in Xfractint (except for integer math, that's a lost
cause.)

Tim


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 22:54:35 -0600
From: Tim Wegner <[e-mail]>
Subject: (fractint) non vicious non-rumors and humor <g!>

I was trying to figure out whether to chatise Paul for his "vicious
rumor" post or not.

My first thought was to take umbrage that he read a post I had made
on the developer's list  then posted a somewhat hysterical
misrepresentation of it here.  This thought lasted about 3 seconds,
maybe five seconds max. :-)

However I decided to applaud Paul instead for livening up this sorta
dead list with some juicy stuff. If I had a payroll I would have to
put him on it to make posts like that <grin!> It sure did bring out
some passionate replies in defense of new versions rendering people's
PAR collections accurately.

Paul is totally and absolutely forgiven <says Tim with saintly
smile!>

Maybe we should have a contest to find other weirdnesses of Fractint.
Can anybody state in clear mathematical language EXACTLY what
fractint is doing with the default mandelbrot and julia algorithms?

This is amusing really, because Bert Tyler never claimed to be a
theorist, mathematician, or to have a deep knowlefdge of fractals. He
was an expert programmer in assembler. He liked "stylish blue" for
the background, so he didn't start with color 0 (black) but with
color 1 (blue in the default palette). As you can see, an initial
iteration gets skipped because as a programmer Bert saw that
0*0 + c = c, so he decided to just start with z(0) = c rather than
z(0) = 0, and save one cycle. Bert's motivation was speed pure and
simple.

This consternation about backward compatibility makes me chuckle. In
a few feverish nights of work in 1987 Bert coded the Mandelbrot and
Julia algorithm. Today, in 2001, 14 years later, the default image is
exactly the same as it was then. But the there are quite a number of
different routines in Fractint that all do the default mandelbrot.

1. Bert's original 386 32 bit integer math mandelbrot/Julia code. I
think it has been modified a little over the years by some people who
found ways to speed it up slightly.

2. 16 bit integer math. When you are calculating the default
Mandelbrot and low zoom ratios, Fractint actually abandons Bert's
code and uses 16 bit integer math!  Fractint seamlessly "shifts" to
32 bit integer math when the 16 bit precision limits is reached.

3. Floating point math coded in C. I probably wrote this originally.
(Don't try coding the Mandelbrot algorithm in C at home, it's hard,
remember, I really am a rocket scientist <g!>)

4. Floating point math coded in assembler with floating point
coprocessor calls. Jonathan knows about this.

5. Finally, arbitrary precision code that allows you to zoom all the
way to 10^1500 power. (There are actually several versions of this in
Fractint, if memory severs, so maybe this is 5. and 6.)

Should probably add the formular parser which itself has integer
math, C language floating point math, and floating point assembler.
That would make alternative codings 6., 7., and 8. I haven't checked
in an awfully long time, but I believe it is easy to code up a
mandelbrot and julia that look exactlyt like Fractint's mandel and
julai images, complete with Bert's idiosyncracies.

With various fractint command line options you can render the default
Mandelbrot with ALL these various coding schemes, and they all work
nearly identically with the default Mandelbrot/Julia, with virtually
every pixel the same color. (I say "virtually" because undoubtedly
there is a pixel or two that gets color differently).

Here's an assignment for Fractint lovers. Can somebody make a PAR
file that makes the default mandelbrot using ALL the different code
options I have mentioned? You'll have to dig out debugflag.doc. How
many entries in the PAR file are there? Variations of parser formulas
don't count - you are allowed one parser formula but you can use
different fractint options to force the use ofd different code.

So the image Bert generated with his idiosyncratic Mandelbrot/Julia
implementation that he ran on an early model 386 (I had to argue with
him to get him to add 286 support, because my machine was a 286) is
the same image you get with today's fractint, even though the
computer is totally different, and most of the code is totally
different than the code he wrote.

Now to complete the story, in December 2001 Jonathan Osuch notices
the peculiarities of Bert's 1987 code, we have a brief email exchange
that discusses backward's compatibility, then

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!

VICIOUS RUMOR - FRACTINT TEAM THREATENS TO CHANGE BERT TYLER'S
RENDERING OF THE MANDELBROT AND JULIA IN FRACTINT!!!

Goodnight Folks!

Tim

As he heads to bed having spent a happy evening ROTFL :-)


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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2001 00:44:19 -0500
From: harry <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (fractint) Vicious Rumor...

<lurk mode off>

Hmmm... I'd just archive the 'old' software to support my old files
if that were the case...

<resume lurk>

H^) harry bissell

"Paul N. Lee" wrote:

> There has been talk from the Developer section of possibly modifying
> FractInt to the point it might mean saved PAR files would not generate
> the same image as it did when the parameters were saved.  This would put
> the issue of backwards compatability at stake.
>
> Apparently not enough individuals have demonstrated a public interest to
> show the Developers that old PAR files are worth keeping.  Any "artists"
> out there concerned about their past works??
>
> Sincerely,
> P.N.L.
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.fractalus.com/cgi-bin/theway?ring=fractals&id=43&go
>
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- --
Jihad Terrorism Conspiracy New World Order
Revolution Black Helicopters Freedom of
Speech First Amendment Rights: Carnivore Bait
go ahead and READ my e-mail I have nothing to
hide... how about YOU ???



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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 23:52:19 -0600
From: "Paul N. Lee" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (fractint) non vicious non-rumors and humor <g!>

Tim Wegner wrote:
>
> I was trying to figure out whether to
> chatise Paul for his "vicious rumor"
> post or not.

I do not mind, my skin has become quite tough from such in various other
Lists and Forums.     ;-}

>
> However I decided to applaud Paul instead
> for livening up this sorta dead list with
> some juicy stuff.

That was my intention.  Plus that Subject line does state it as a
"rumor".     ;-}

>
> EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!
>
> As he heads to bed having spent a happy evening ROTFL :-)

They say one sleeps much better after having a good laugh before going
to bed.   :-)

Sincerely,
P.N.L.
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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 08:12:22 -0600
From: "Jonathan Osuch" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (fractint) Vicious Rumor...

> At this stage in Fractint's life cycle we certainly would not do
> anything rash to break backwards compatibility. My suggestion for
> Jonathan's original query would be to try to emulate Fractint's
> idiosyncracies in Xfractint (except for integer math, that's a lost
> cause.)

That would be why the developer's version is at 20.2.

Some time ago, I don't recall who or when, it was  pointed out to me that
the julia fractal was incorrect.  The green ring around the default image
should extend beyond the border of the image.  At the time, I verified that
it had always been like that and concluded that it must be correct.  This
was probably during the era of "The Bad Head Day".

Bad_Head_Day?      { ; Ever had one of those days?
                     ; By Jonathan Osuch
                     ; This is a slow one.
                     ;  Version 1921 Patchlevel 22
  reset=1921 type=manlam(fn||fn) function=sqrt/cos passes=1
  center-mag=+2.96853387542126300/+0.00038114232461102/26547.1
  params=0/0/0.5 float=y maxiter=10000 bailoutest=real inside=0
  logmap=11
  colors=00e000L00<13>z00<2>p00l00h00d00a00<9>000<15>zX0<15>000<15>ut0<15>\
  000GA4<12>2v10z00w0<14>000<15>00z<3>00i00a<8>000<16>z0Xv0Vr0Tp0Sn0R<12>0\
  00<15>p0w<15>000<15>zzz<14>444
  }

So, this last weekend, I took the pentium mandelbrot code and ported it over
to nasm to drop into the Xfractint code.  That worked just fine until I
started to compare the images generated with the Xfractint C code and what I
had just ported over.  There were problems with outside options and the
julia images seemed wrong.  I recalled that I had earlier fixed a problem
with the julia code in Xfractint by moving the location of a decrement
instruction (we decrement from maxit instead of increment from 0).  This was
to remove the black border around the image.  Since I couldn't compare the
image created by Fractint and the image created by Xfractint at the same
time, I concluded I had fixed the problem.  Being a slow learner, it wasn't
until I compared the images generated by the two versions of the code on
Monday or Tuesday that I concluded that something was seriously wrong.

At present, I still consider the Xfractint code to be unstable and have not
added backwards compatibility when I correct problems.  The DOS version is
the base version and I do add backwards compatibility when I have to when a
fix changes how images are generated.  Understand that this invariably
causes a speed hit.

In the future, the base code will have to be changed to Xfractint as more
people get XP'd.  Which, in all probability, Fractint in its current form
will not run under.  The Xfractint code needs to be ported to the djgpp
compiler.  In combination with incorporation of a graphics manipulation
package such as Allegro, this will allow a pseudo windows version to run on
the dreaded XP.  This is a big project.  If there is interest, I'll discuss
this in more detail.

Jonathan



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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 10:30:13 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (fractint) FOTD  08-12-01  (Fractal Saturday [5])

FOTD -- December 08, 2001 (Rating 5)

Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:

Now that we've safely weathered the impending Fractint backward
incompatibility crisis, it's time for the ubiquitous FOTD.  Due
to the holiday decorating that must be done today, I have little
time for a lengthy discussion, and the fractal itself rates only
a 5, but the image is still worth at least a quick glance.

The parent fractal, which combines portions of Z^(-1.87) and
Z^(-18.7), is indescribable, as nearly all fractals are.  One of
its features is a prominent bud cut off by a single-and-double
valley.  Today's scene is located at the edge of one branch of
the double half of the valley.

I used the <fmod> coloring option on both the inside and outside
of today's image.  The resulting terraced effect is impressive
around the fringes of the image, but closer to the midget the
terraces break down into a not-very-attractive area of chaos.
This chaos can be reduced but not eliminated by rendering at a
higher resolution than the standard 640x480.

Unable to think of a descriptive name, I settled on "Fractal
Saturday", which like a name such as "Symphony No. 25", merely
catalogs the image.  (Of course, the comparison is not exact.
Creating a symphony requires much more effort than finding a
fractal.)

The 11-minute render time is a bit too slow for a merely average
image.  In today's case, the wiser choice is to download the
completed GIF image from:

          <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html>

or from:

          <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html>

The fractal weather Friday was a big come-down from the day
before.  Cloudy skies and a temperature of 63F 17C are not ideal
for cats, especially when combined with a chilly north breeze.
Meeting with such imperfect conditions beyond the first door,
the cats checked every other door, found the same conditions
beyond all doors, then spent the day indoors, sulking.  It took
a treat of tuna to lighten their sullen spirits.  And BTW, don't
be surprised if the dynamic cat duo have their pictures posted
in the not-too-distant future.

Well, today is the day to begin the holiday decorations here at
Fractal Central.  And that's what I'm just about ready to do.
Until next time, take care, and fractals are the art of God.


Jim Muth
[e-mail]


START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================

Fractal_Saturday   { ; time=0:11:19.10--SF5 on a P200
  reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm
  formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1
  center-mag=+1.51526872992240000/-0.074015609556275\
  80/43489.18/1/155/-6.50101500410116273e-011
  params=1.5/-1.87/1/-18.7/0/525 float=y maxiter=2500
  inside=fmod proximity=3 outside=fmod logmap=yes
  colors=000NHnMGmLFlKEkIDjHCiGBhFAfE9eD8dC7cB6bA5a9\
  5`96V97P98J99D9A79B1OLjPMhPMgPNfPNePOcQNbQPaQN`QN_\
  QOYQMXRMWRKVRITRJSRKRRMQSOPSQNSRMSTLSUKSWJUYMV_OWa\
  RXbTYdWZfY_h``jbblecngdpjerlftogvqhytizvgusftpesmd\
  rjcqhaoe`nb_m_ZlXYkVWiSVhPUgMTfJSeHP`NMXTJTZGOdDKj\
  AGp8CuFGnMKgSNaZRVeVOkYIfZKbZMZZOVZQQ_SM_UI_WE_YA_\
  _BYYCXWDWUEVSETQFSOGRMHQKHOIINGJMEKLCKKADIAQJRbJgn\
  JxlNsjRohVkgYgKJUZ53Y87XBAXDDWGGZ0zVLMR4xL5m5FAF5b\
  A6S46HZ0zLj8F`7AQ74G6AKc4DNtvcehVSWNDJELWjZ0zAJQ4C\
  Gf4jS5XD6JCX57O63F6kTndPgYMaRJVKFPDCI69CYW6PP6GJ67\
  C6NabJWXFRSZ0zZGzZBzsm`Z0zZ0zLNIAEC9xi7maZ0z3SMPH0\
  b6SJ6HNDiJCcGBYCAS99N58H27BKlc9RNM0iJ1dG2_D3VA3Q74\
  L45G16BDIB9F96C82970X20S30O40J40F50A6j`P9Xr4JUHy80\
  360460460560560560660660bC0UA0M90E7GmQ_ktUelP_eKUZ\
  EOR9IK4CDazHIYBiRjbOdWLZPITJFNCCH59Bd9C0uBH787fa5X\
  U3OM1FK02v03o03h04bPJqOIp
  }

frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth
a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2),
g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j,
k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel):
z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c,
|z| < l
}

END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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End of fractint-digest V1 #616
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