=========================================================================== D o c u m e n t a t i o n f o r M U G i f f =========================================================================== © 1993 by Mark Rose THIS PROGRAM IS GIFTWARE. THE COPYRIGHT AND ALL MEANS OF EXPLOITATION REMAIN PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR. IT MAY BE FREELY DISTRIBUTED IF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS ARE MET: 1. NO MONEY MAY BE CHARGED FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PROGRAM EXCEPT A NOMINAL FEE FOR EXPENSES. THIS FEE MUST NOT EXCEED 5.- DM (FIVE GERMAN MARKS IN WHATEVER CURRENCY IS USED IN THE COUNTRY THIS APPLIES). 2. THE DOCUMENTATION (ENGLISH AND GERMAN) AND THE PROGRAM REMAIN INTACT AND UNCHANGED AND MUST BE DISTRBUTED TOGETHER. 3. THIS PROGRAM MUST NOT BE USED IN ANY FORM OF COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION. IF YOU WANT TO USE THIS PROGRAM IN ANY COMMERCIAL FORM PLEASE CONTACT THE AUTHOR AND TERMS CAN BE NEGOTIATED. THE AUTHOR TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT RESULTS FROM THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM. What is MUGiff: --------------- Yet another IFF-Viewer. But... (see next section) Features: --------- - KS 1.2, 1.3, 2.04, 3.0 compatible (NO direct AGA-support, but could work though. Please report to me) - Runs on ANY Amiga (hopefully) thanks to IFF-library. Tested on A500 (512Chip,512Fast) KS1.2, A2000C (1MB Chip, 4MB Fast16, 4MB Fast32) 68030/881 KS2.04/KS3.0. - Can display any number of pictures (under KS2.04, because of unlimited commandline length) - XPK-support. XPKmaster.library must be installed though. In contrast to the supplied IFF-viewer of XPK this one supports EHB-pictures. - SHORT! This version has 6832 bytes! (+ iff.library 3164 bytes) - Supports OverScan (even under KS1.2/1.3) - IFF24bit pictures can be displayed. Because of a limitation in IFF.library it is only the red part. The only other way (as in ShowIFF of the library) would be to load the complete 24bit bitmap into CHIP and 400×400 would be the limit (1meg CHIP). - Pictures larger than the screen can be scrolled (new since 1.3) without limiting multitasking at all (no mousemovement, no CPU-time! In contrast to ShowIFF which calls GetMsg all the time) - Runs on my computer without crashing (well, if this is a feature you can find out yourself ;^) ) Installation: ------------- Very easy: just copy the IFF.library to your LIBS: directory, put MUGiff somewhere in your path (e.g. C:) and all the fun can begin... Remember: IFF.library is © by Christian A. Weber Usage: ------ CLI: Just start it with the name(s) of the picture(s). ~~~~ Example: MUGiff DH0:IFFs/GreatestPic.IFF DF0:WoC.HAM RAM:Mark.face While displaying the picture you can scroll it using the mouse (if the picture is larger than the screen). If more than one picture was supplied as argument you can display the next picture with the left mousebutton (or press any key) and abort the entire display with the right mousebutton. WB : 1. Make MUGiff the default-tool of your project icon, double-click ~~~~ it and enjoy 2._Give MUGiff an icon (none was supplied because I use it as part of another program [see next section]). Click on the picture with the mouse then double-click on the MUGiff icon (and enjoy yourself THEN). Otherwise you have the same possibilities as in CLI. Tips for using MUGiff: ---------------------- "Why doesn't this damned program support wildcards ???" Very easy. It is designed to be used in such tools as Directory Opus, DiskMaster or similar. Put it in a gadget there and it will feel at home. This will also prevent that your fingers bleed due to too excessive typing. "I want MUGiff to have an AppIcon !" With the highest possibility this will NEVER come true. I do not need it and egoistic as I am I would never struggle to program something I do not have any use for. But in the unexpected case that dozens of people cry for it... (sigh, moan) "Why is there no FileRequester ?" I do not need it because as said above I use it out of another program. But if enough people yell for it I will implement the ReqTools FileRequester (because this should also work under KS1.3). "I would like to see the #? feature added" Patience. First try reading the next section for things to come. If your desires are not met there just contact me ("how" is explained at the end of this file). If it is a feature I need myself you will find it in the next version. If it is not more people should ask for it and I will implement it (sigh again). "MUGiff is desperately in need of a WYSIWYG editor, an art package (where else should the pictures come from?), a Tetris-clone (preventing the pictures from being too boring), GameBoy(tm) implementation, 32768bit Halfbrite-mode (Kick 19.0) support and should become shorter (no place on my WB-disk)." Exactly! How about a software 68040 emulator, that is able to simulate 16meg RAM on a stock A600 1MB and is 327% faster? AARRGGHH! What will be in future versions: -------------------------------- In order of probability: - Commandlineoptions for choosing the screenmode independent from what is said in the ILBM file. - Ability to save WITHOUT run-length-encoding (this is the real reason for writing this program. I crunch my picture collection (> 40 disks) with XPK. When the picture is not run-length-encoded the resulting file is shorter. The only program I know of that is able to do this is IFFConvert (Fish 699) where you have to pick EACH picture with a FileRequester [and that for 40 disks!]). This should result in better crunching results of every algorithm (LhA, PowerPacker, XPK, etc.)... - PCHG-support. You could finally crunch these fantastic pictures (which are also fantastically large) with XPK and still view them! This feature would result in QUITE a lot of work because the supporting sourcecodes are all in C. Therefore... - Port to GNU-C. My Modula-2 compiler was EXPENSIVE and has many shortcomings if you do "clever" programming. Therefore I MIGHT start using C but as I am not equipped with lots of cash there is only the GNU-C compiler (except if there is someone who wants to buy a Modula-2 compiler *grin*). This point is not decided yet. - I cannot think of any more things to add. Tell me what you want. Bug-Reports: ------------ A bug in one of MY programs? IMPOSSIBLE !!! UNTHINKABLE !!! But in case that perhaps despite that... Please send the reports to the address below. EMail would be VERY nice because of the mindboggling speed. Please tell me your exact configuration. The specifications of the picture and the kind of bug should also be described with detail. If this documentation contains mistakes (grammatical and/or spelling) please tell me so I can correct them. You perhaps noticed that English is not my native tongue... Support: -------- If you want to get the newest version faster than anyone else do one of the following things (depending on where you live): Europe [that is the EEC]: Send five German Marks to the address below. If you want to use a different currency, add one Mark because the bank likes to get its share... Outside Europe [not EEC]: Send five US-Dollars to the address below. It would be very kind if you would send a self-addressed envelope for easier handling. The disk is supplied by me and included in the price. This disk will contain the newest version of MUGiff (of course) and the newest distribution of XPK and IFF.library. As you can see the requested money has no margin for profit. If you like MUGiff please remember this program is GiftWare. Thank You. How to contact me: ------------------ There are many ways. Here they are in order of preference: - Via EMail : ukkg@ibm3090.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de \InterNet/ ukkg@dkauni2.bitnet \BitNet/ s_rose@iravcl.ira.uka.de \InterNet/ if there are problems to contact under above addressed [there have been!] - Snail Mail : Mark Rose Mark Rose Waldhornstr. 36, D604 Franz-Volk-Str. 37 7500 Karlsruhe 7600 Offenburg GERMANY GERMANY (during Semester) (you can always reach me here but may take a while...) +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | T H I S P R O G R A M I S G I F T W A R E ! | +=========================================================================+ | Please remember: This program is GiftWare. If you like it and use it | | on a regular basis, think of the poor student who appreciates small | | gifts (C-compiler, Videos, own productions, and many more). | | If you cannot spare any gift then at least contact me ! | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ___________________________________________________________________________ ____ ONLY ____ _____ ____ | __ ||\ /||_ _|| ____|| __ | "We pray for one last landing ||__||||\ //| || || ___ ||__|| On the globe that gave us birth; | __ |||\\//|| || |||___|| __ | Let us rest our eyes on fleecy skies || |||| \/ || _||_ ||___|||| || And the cool green hills of Earth." || |||| |||____||_____||| || makes it possible... Robert A. Heinlein ___________________________________________________________________________