ftp.wwiv.com/ftp.wwiv.com.zip/ftp.wwiv.com/pub/HATCH/WWIVNEWS.ZIP/9301_2.NWS

Text File | 1993-01-23 | 28KB | 480 lines

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               │                 TechnOTES                   │
               │        Compiled by the WWIVnews Staff       │
               └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

...On-The-Fly compression was the household buzzword for '92. Compression
utils such as Stacker, SuperStor and XtraDrive brought new life to old, smaller
hard drives previously doomed to extinction in today's Windows-hungry computing
environments. The technique has proven it's worth so successfully that
Microsoft will finally offer its own compressor with release 6.0 of DOS, which
at last report will be a licensed version of XtraDrive.

...There's always a yin for every yang it seems. With all the hoopla over
higher on-the-fly file compression ratios, it may come as no surprise that
the promise of cheaper ways to increase drive space comes the promise that
you will definitely fill those drives. Especially if what you're filling that
empty space happens to be those pesky, semi-uncompressable .GIF files.

...In recent months, prices have started to drop on sheet-fed full-page
desktop scanners and video capture boards. For under $1300 mail-order, one
can purchase a 300 DPI color scanner and real-time video capture board with
dual-source wiping capabilities. These prices are for what is now considered
the "low end" of the imaging utility spectrum, which has increased to 300
DPI or better in required minimum resolution. Previous prices for 300 DPI
are now the asking price for peripherals that manipulate no less than 800 DPI,
which itself is becoming the low-end minimum resolution for usage in multimedia
support peripherals and professional image digitizing.

...But for the .GIF freaks, Windows background enthusiasts, and low-end desktop
publishers, 300 DPI is more than satisfactory for most uses. Most full-color
.GIF's and .BMP's are between 300 to 400 DPI at 640x480 anyway, so the added
resolution is lost when viewing denser images at a reduced size.

...Adding to the surge in interest in desktop scanners has been the related
price drop in 300 DPI B&W scanners. While B&W .GIF's are already obsolete,
these low-cost sheet-fed scanners are perfect for starting a home business
dealing in OCR and document scanning. Mail-order prices for a sheet-fed model
have been seen as low as $200, and Kyocera has reportedly dumped a load of
what used to be their "top-of-the-line" full-page scanners on the market as
well. Prices for the Kyoceras have been spotted in _Computer Shopper_ for as
low as $499, with prices expected to drop to about half that by the end of
the year.

...The demands placed on video performance by GUI's such as Windows and
OS/2 has hardware manufacturers scrambling to devise ways to boost video
performance at an economic price. While the future points towards placing
the video circuitry on the CPU bus itself, currently the best means available
to improve high-res windows performance is to use video cards whose onboard
processors are geared for direct windows support.

...However, local bus video is still a ways in the future, as most LBV
designers are waiting for the 386/486 market to stabilize somewhat before
pushing for such a radical addition to the CPU. As a result, Chips &
Technologies has developed an interim solution to the performance problem
in the form of an additional on-board processor.

...Dubbed the "Wingine", the processor differs from other video performance
enhancements by utilizing inexpensive system RAM in place of more expensive
video RAM (VRAM), which in turn is managed by the existing system memory
controller. The result is a compromise between placing the video controller
directly on the CPU itself and improving performance with an expensive
high-performance VRAM accelerator card.

...According to a C&T spokesman, several manufacturers had expressed interest
in the Wingine. However, as of press time only Epson had announced plans to
produce systems based on the Wingine approach.

...Back in 1988, the "Gang of Nine" banded together in an attempt to concoct
some form of advanced bus architecture that would provide a viable alternative
to IBM's proprietary (and expensive) Micro Channel Architecture, or MCA. The
result was an enhanced version of the standard 8/16-Bit architecture, dubbed
by that same "Gang of Nine" as "Extended Industry Standard Architecture" or
EISA.

...The creation of EISA retroactively gave 8/16-Bit bus structures the name of
"Industry Standard Architecture", or ISA, with the hopes of subliminally
discrediting Micro-Channel systems as being "against the industry standard."
EISA also promised backwards-compatibility with existing ISA peripherals, which
IBM refused to promise to apply to their MCA machines. IBM raised the battle
cry of "Total Upgrade...or DIE!", and relatively few people joined in the
chorus.

...In light of benchmarks that showed virtually no difference in performance
over even an ISA bus system with a fast clock speed, MCA naturally never took
off as IBM hoped. A recent multi-page ad section in a recent issue of _PC
Magazine_ actually gives some hint that even Big Blue is reconsidering its
own zealousness towards the Micro-Channel. With this in mind, EISA should have
taken off like a rocket, and we should all be reaping the rewards of a faster,
backwards-compatible bus, right?

...not hardly. Several factors have kept EISA from truly becoming the
"Extended Industry Standard". First of these was the waxing and waning
cooperation between the members of the "Gang of Nine", which slowed progress
on the EISA bus standards and delayed shipping of the first EISA bus PCs.
Secondly, the initial performance of the EISA machines wasn't better than
the ISA machines they were replacing. Since bus mastering hadn't come unto
acceptance at that time, the EISA controllers were designed around the
techniques used for ISA systems.

...The lack of promised performance crippled EISA's reputation as much as those
unkept promises had done for the Micro-Channel. When combined with the $50 to
$1000 added cost-per-EISA-machine caused by the high premium Intel was charging
for the EISA bus controller chip set, the "Gang of Nine" were dealt as bad a
hand as that which IBM had drawn from their own deck.

...However, EISA is once again poised on the edge of an acceptance threshold.
Although recently developed bus-mastering disk controllers from Ultrastor and
Adaptec have shown that the promises of EISA weren't as hollow as the
benchmarks claimed, the major advancement for the new "Industry Standard" is
a new chip set from OPTI that promises to reduce the difference between EISA
and ISA to below $100.

...the key to the price difference appears to be the number of chips in the
set itself. Intel's set requires 20 VLSI's, which forces EISA system designers
to use motherboards that can only fit in well-ventilated (and more expensive)
tower cases. OPTi's chip set, however, requires only four VLSI's to perform
EISA tasks. The result is a reduction to about 1/4 of the cost to produce the
chips themselves, while at the same time allowing retailers to sell EISA
systems in smaller footprint cases for an even lower cost.

...Oddly enough, EISA's "rebirth" comes at a time when the next evolutionary
step beyond EISA, the Local Bus Architecture, is about to come unto its own.
However, both have their comparative strengths and weaknesses, which will
definitely have an effect on future system designs. Where Local Bus is superior
for video performance, EISA excels when it comes to high-level disk file
management. The logical compromise that will eventually take place is to
develop a hybrid EISA/Local Bus machine that combines the benefits of both
bus architectures on one board.

...Ok, so Apple's Newton PDA has been unveiled. Granted, it won't run WWIV
right off the bat, but that hasn't stopped IBM from trying to keep up with
the times. IBM has announced that a "technology demonstration" will be held
at November's COMDEX to unveil Big Blue's answer to the Newton. Insider
reports claim the two-pound device looks very similar to Apple's Newton, and
can be configured to use up to 40 Megs of flash memory. IBM officials have
also gone on record to say that there is a "strong likelihood" that this, or
another IBM PDA design, will ship in the second half of 1993 at a price
comparable to that of the Newton.

...Word from Cyrix sources claim that the "Intel Busters" are working on a new
i486 pin compatible processor that promises integer performance rivaling that
of Intel's P5. Cyrix hopes to ship by the end of 2nd Quarter '93, but most
industry analysts remain skeptical as reports from inside Cyrix claim that the
new chip also suffers from the same overheating problems that have plagued
Intel's faster processors.

...According to Intel, the initial stock Intel P5's are expected to clock at
66 Mhz and deliver 100 MIPs. Performance on the order of four to ten times
that of a 33 Mhz i486DX is also anticipated.

...Alright, confess: you didn't REALLY expect Windows NT to ship on schedule
as announced, did you? No, and with good reason, too. The end-user beta
testing program for NT is only now getting underway and most industry
observers are saying the product is unlikely to be ready before the second
quarter of 1993 - probably closer to the 3rd, to be exact.

...Though Windows NT is touted as offering hardware independence, the users of
systems using a processor other than an Intel x86-based CPU will discover that
existing Windows applications will only run - albeit slowly - in 8086 (XT)
emulation mode unless they obtain new versions recompiled for their specific
hardware.

...Speaking of expectation, IBM VP Richard Guarino has gone on record regarding
the promises of "Joint Apple/Mac/IBM/AIX/OS/2 Compatibility" that have been
cited as being part of the first edition of Taligent's "Pink" OS. Pink,
currently being developed jointly by IBM and Apple, "probably will not support
applications written for other operating systems, such as the Macintosh System
7, DOS, OS/2, and AIX." Guarino also pointed out that the first end-user
version of Pink isn't expected until 1995, and expressed the opinion that it
is too soon to know what will or won't be supported.

...It should be noted, however, that Apple has reportedly been making good
progress towards porting Macintosh Toolbox calls to native PowerPC code. This
could result in friction between the Taligent partners if one company's
software engineers are ready with support for their existing applications far
in advance of the other. Based on the short track record of "partnership"
between Apple and IBM so far, you can probably safely bet the farm that there
will be problems between the two in this matter when "Pink" finally hits the
market.

...Word from the Boca Rats is that IBM is beta testing the next major upgrade
for LAN Manager for OS/2, and is expected to ship it by the end of this year,
ahead of schedule by at least six months. Version 3.0 will include peer-to-peer
services, built in TCP/IP, and an enhanced High Performance OS/2 File System
(HPFS) for both client and server.

...Meanwhile, word from the Microsoft beta-testers for DOS 6.0 report that
in addition to using XtraDrive/Disk Doubler/Magic Disk/Whatever it's called,
the Gates boys also plan to include peer to peer networking services - this
including serial port null-modem cable hookups - as part of the basic package!

...At the same time, however, the testers are also quick to point out that
Microsoft's plan for DOS 6.0 appears to be geared towards taking care of two
major areas of DOS's shortcomings - On-The-Fly Compression and Network Support
- while at the same time trying to incorporate the "best" of the PD/Shareware
DOS utils all in one package. Those they can't incorporate, say the testers,
will simply be shoved out of the way.

...The bad news from the testers appears to be that DOS 6.0 will be just a bit
more memory-hungry than 5.0, and that accessibility to higher memory will be
required to keep LMA usage below 155k. Current beta reports also state that
when DOS is loaded "high", the remaining lower memory "stub" is an acceptable
44K. As a result, Microsoft is reported to be seriously considering releasing
the new version so that it can't run on anything less than an AT with at least
1MB of RAM. This abandonment of the true 8086/88 processor class would, in all
likelihood, hammer the last nail in the coffin for the XT's by eliminating
one of THE major upgrade element paths.

...Exis, developers of Telix, has sold all rights to the program source code,
trademark name, and future sales of the program to former Exis Technical
Support Manager, Jeff Woods. The terms of sale were not disclosed, and no
reasons were given for the sale. However, Woods has gone on record that both
parties were in agreement "that this was the best course of action to ensure
the long-term growth and prosperity of the product."

...Woods has also stated that future releases of Telix would be available from
his new company, DeltaComm Development, and support/upgrade pricing will
continue to be offered to previous registered users. A minor upgrade to Telix
has been promised year's end, which Woods claims will "contain some of the
more popular feature requests." Some of these features should include a
sorely-needed script 'learning' capability, an easier learning curve for the
powerful SALT scripting language, and - tho many may argue against it - some
form of ANSI music capability.

...Woods noted that deltaComm is expected to be in full operation as of
October 5th, and that until then Exis would not be taking calls or orders for
Telix. At the same time, Woods also reported that Telix's chief programmer,
Colin Sampaleanu, will reportedly cease work on Telix and remain with Exis to
work on other projects.

....Warning! Warning! Danger, Will Robinson! Microsoft's latest plan for
Windows on ROM has a very dangerous tone to it. Some design engineers have
been looking at the idea of using WinROMs on - get this - household appliances.
Although WinROMs aren't available yet, some Microsoft engineers have reportedly
come up with base designs for telephones, microwave ovens, audio CD decks,
VCRs, and even lawn sprinkler control systems that use a mouse and a Windowed
interface for operation.

...Now, the sprinkler idea isn't too bad when you think about it. Having a
configurable timer manager for unattended watering of the grass according to
city ordinances would be a boon to quite a number of amateur horticulturalists.
The same concept could be used for the VCRs and CD decks, while the phone
concept would probably be an extension of WinTerminal and Notepad into Ma
Bell's container. However, having a mouse in the kitchen...well, one wrong
move with a carving knife, and you probably get the picture.

...Besides, cleaning food out of a mouse is about as much a pain in the butt
as cleaning out a keyboard. Just ask the WWIVnews Editor about that!

...Intel has developed a new version of the Above Board that allows for mixing
and matching of SIMM's with different RAM configurations and speeds. The $299
0k ISA board holds up to 32MB of RAM, and provides for automatic remapping
of faulty memory in 128k blocks to provide access to the remaining memory.
An Intel insider also reports that development has commenced on another new
version of the Above Board that will allow for mix and match of both SIMMs
and SIPPs, and is expected to see release by the 2nd Quarter of '93.

...Cray enthusiasts take note: Cray Research has finally ported C++ over to
their line of supercomputers, including the Cray X and Y-MP series. With
this advancement in the state of the art for supercomupting, can WWIV/Cray
be far behind?

...Talk about late-breaking news: Last July, Microsoft Corporation terminated
its licensing agreement with Z-Nix Computer Inc., and filed suit against Z-Nix
and several of its distributors. The suit follows a Microsoft investigation
that revealed distribution of thousands, of illegal copies of the complete
Windows 3.1 package under the Z-Nix logo.

...According to a Microsoft spokesman, Microsoft filed suit against Z-Nix and
at least four of Z-Nix' distributors on June 22 of this year for copyright and
trademark infringements, as well as breach of licensing agreement. Microsoft
attorneys also requested and were granted a temporary restraining order against
any and all further reproduction and distribution of Microsoft software as
manufactured by Z-Nix.

...Under the license agreement with Microsoft, Z-Nix was granted the right to
reproduce and distribute Windows 3.1 software as part of a package deal with
the Z-Nix mouse, as well as the right to upgrade existing customers who had
bought the same package with Windows 3.0 software included. According to
Microsoft, Z-Nix engaged in widespread distribution of a stand-alone version,
marked as an "Upgrade," to users other than existing customers. Under the terms
of the license agreement, distribution of such copies constitutes both a breach
of the agreement and a copyright/trademark infringement. This according to
the claim filed by Microsoft's attorneys.

...Since last July, an out-of-court settlement was reportedly reached between
the two parties. In addition to the payment of an undisclosed sum, Z-Nix has
lost all rights to distribute any version of Windows other than any existing
stock of the 3.0 release. As this settlement prohibits Z-Nix from offering an
upgrade for Windows 3.1, Microsoft has agreed to accept ownership of Z-Nix
Windows copies as proof of eligibility for future Windows upgrade plans.

...This news might be a bit late, but seeing as how a lot of people bought
systems that included the Z-Nix mouse & Windows 3.0 package, it's better late
than never.

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               │  Squashing Those Gluttony .GIF's (Part 3)   │
               │            By Spackle (1@19955)             │
               └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

This article is the last in a three-part series of articles discussing the
various GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) picture file compression methods,
their pros and cons, and a sample test with sample GIF files. The complete
article (12K archived) is available for download at The Rubicon in Raleigh,
North Carolina at 919-676-0738 under the filename of GIFCOMPR.LZH. Sysops
are auto-validated first call. This would make an excellent G-File, and is
good download information as well.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Conclusions on GIF Compression (based on personal experience and testing):
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 1. Based on my own personal experience, GIF compression is usually a
    complete waste of time. The space gained vs. the loss in image quality
    is usually a lose-lose battle no matter how you look at it.

 2. Archiving GIFs using one of the popular archiving programs doesn't gain
    any space, it only allows multiple files to be "enveloped" into one file
    for download or disk transfer. The time spent compressing GIFs with an
    archiving program is ENORMOUS compared to the low overhead of starting a
    file transfer and doing it (even at 2400 baud).

 3. GIFLITE works well, and works consistently on all but a few GIFs. It
    doesn't always compress as well, but it ALSO doesn't degrade pictures
    NEAR as much. Too, there is not an opportunity to use and re-use GIFLITE
    and any one file... with JPEG you can compress and compress until the
    resulting picture hardly resembles the original image.

 4. JPEG was not intended for 8-bit machines. Period. Unless you have a
    24-bit TARGA board, or an XGA-equipped PS/2, don't bother with GIF2JPG.
    The results are unpredictable, and sometimes contrary to what it should
    be. The options are too many and too testy to be reliable. The relative
    difference between images compressed using a quality factor of 50 and
    one of 51 may be ten-fold -- or maybe it won't.

 5. In addition to being unreliable, I tested GIF2JPEG on the same file mult
    iple times to determine whether the SAME compression takes place each
    time. Guess what?  It doesn't!  You may compress file XX.GIF and YY.GIF
    (both are the same file), but the output from these files (XX.JPG and
    YY.JPG) MIGHT NOT BE THE SAME!!!  This suggests a HIGH probability of
    almost zero reliability and support for a "norm" in GIF2JPG. Once again,
    we're back to the fact that JPEG is a 24-bit compression technique, not
    an 8-bit technique.

 6. Let's explain Conclusion #1 a little more for those who find it flippant:

      Let's take 2 files - both are 100K. We'll call them A.GIF and B.GIF.
      We will follow 2 paths and add up the time spent and space gained for
      each path:

        PATH 1 - Compression of both files (using either GIFLITE or JPEG)
        takes 6 minutes. We gain 20K for each file - a total of 40K.
        Downloading both files takes approximately 12 minutes at 2400 baud.

        Path 1 Totals:  40 K saved        12 minutes to download
                                         + 6 minutes for compression
                                         ----
                                          18 minutes total time spent

        PATH 2 - No compression of files. Total file size is now 200K.
        Downloading both files takes about 20 minutes at 2400 baud.

        Path 2 Totals:  0 K saved         20 minutes to download
                                         + 0 minutes for compression
                                         ----
                                          20 minutes total time spent

        Is it worth two minutes of download time to:
          - Destroy a perfectly good GIF?
          - Render someone's artwork indistinguishable?
          - Have to exit the BBS, start the compression program,
            copy the new file over, update the file size info on
            the BBS, rename the file, and start the BBS back up...?
          - Possibly even infringe upon a copyright?

        It's the user that has to spend that extra 1 minute per file on
        download time, and I think it's worth it to nearly all of them
        to get a GIF that's not been tampered with or defiled or degraded
        using a compression program. And it seems to me it's a lot more
        hassle than it's worth.

 7. Making backups and testing quality factors and getting them right for
    each particular GIF is ridiculous. While it allows people in a 24-bit
    editing studio--who are LOOKING at the frame to be compressed and know
    what will be taken out--to define what they want, it only adds to the
    confusion and frustration of the PC user, Sysop, or BBS user. GIF
    compression shouldn't be a trial-and-error process. It takes too long
    for Joe Normal to sit patiently while FILE1.GIF gets compressed, only
    to find that he's compressed too much and lost too much image info.
    Whoops!  He also forgot to make a backup.... so much for that GIF...

 8. GIF compression is a personal issue. It's like abortion--well, maybe
    not, but it is controversial just the same. Do you take the file into
    your own hands and re-form it while it's still warm from the artist's
    hands?  Or do you let it settle--big as it may be--as it was intended
    by the artist?  Scanned images, of course, usually have a lot of room
    for compression. Hand-drawn and scanned or digitized hand-drawn images
    do not, and it is my opinion that tampering with these files is pretty
    much unethical. It's like re-writing someone's executable program and
    taking away all the nice little features and leaving just the menus.

 9. I must also bring up copyrighting. Some GIFs are copyrighted (actually,
    ALL the ones that are stolen from magazines are copyrighted!). To change
    the actual image and redistribute the new image is considered a copyright
    infringement. It is highly unlikely that you will ever be arrested or
    anything, but for the morally correct, compressing some GIFs is against
    the law. But then so is speeding, and I'm not the only person to get a
    speeding ticket at the age of 16 (years ago).

10. You may find that you need two separate directories for GIFs -- one for
    compressed files and one for uncompressed files. Then you must weigh
    the compression on each individual file against the gain in space that
    resulted from the compression. If you only compress the file by 500
    bytes, and lose a lot of the original image, it would be obvious that
    compression of that file would not be worth the effort (although to
    discover that, you have to have already compressed it!). Basically,
    it's your call as to what is an acceptable loss, and what's not.

My own personal feelings on this whole compression thing is this: If you
can't get back the ORIGINAL file, with its original information, don't
compress it, ESPECIALLY if you're distributing the compressed file(s) (such
as running a BBS). Leave the compression up to the individual, and make it
clear that uploaded files should not be compressed in any fashion unless the
original file(s) can be had (i.e. a lossless compression method such as
PKZIP, LHA, or ARJ). If Joe Downloader wants to compress his GIFs, that's
fine, but let HIM make that decision. "To each his own."

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Acknowledgements:
─────────────────

Tests were run on a 13 Mhz IBM XT-Compatible machine, using Hercules Mono,
CGA, and VGA monitors and a 120-meg SCSI hard drive with 15ms access time.
Compression/decompression times will vary among the different CPU speeds,
obviously. The times in this article are for comparison to themselves only.

The author of GIFLITE is Tsung Ho, and may be contacted at the following
address:

     P.O.Box 938, Unit 105
     St. Catharines, Ontario
     L2R 6Z4  Canada

(Please note that current US-to-Canada postage is around 40 cents.)

GIF2JPG and JPG2GIF were written by the people at:

     Handmade Software, Inc.
     15951 Los Gatos Blvd., Suite 7
     Los Gatos, CA  95032

     [phone] (FAX)
     [phone]

For more information on the JPEG format, write to:

     X3 Secretariat
     Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Institute
     311 First Street NW, Suite 500
     Washington, DC  20001-2178

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Addendum from the author:
─────────────────────────

Shortly after this last segment was submitted to WWIVnews, someone submitted a
copy of GIFBLAST, a new program first posted on the Internet to compress GIFs.
In my short trials with the program, it seems to compress the hell out of GIF
files (albeit very slowly) with NO noticeable loss (that I can see). I plan to
do a follow-up review about this new program as soon as things calm down here
from my recent dive into married life and the subsequent trip to Disney World!

Send e-mail to Spackle #1 @19955 if you want information now on GIFBLAST, as
I've created a small file outlining what it can do.