Hi Group:
> >There is no free or shareware viewer for that format I can find. If you
> >have one it can likely save the file as jpg of gif. Why an oddball version
> >of TIFF was used is beyond me.
>
> I've got to agree, that is one irritating format. As far as I've been able
> to determine, nothing on UNIX or VMS will read it, and I think the Mac has
> trouble with it also, but can peal it apart. So basically you're stuck
> having to read it using Windows, which quite bluntly strikes me as stupid,
> considering that I suspect a lot of use that are interested in the
> documenation can't stand to run Windows!
As the owner of the highgate pdp-8 site, I couldn't agree more. I use
Windows as little as possible, mostly in relation to my work (where
everybody uses it and the need for compatibility is important), but in
relation to the scans, I think that having the docs and other information
available in any form (and this particular tiff form is unusual at best)
beats not having them available at all. The site is extremely popular and
gets approximately 700 MB of info downloaded to users a week.
David Gesswein does the scanning, and I do the site maintenance. I don't
have the time (or resources or scanning experience) to do both.
If someone wants to download the files, and re-post them as separate JPEG
files, or whatever, then fine: let me know and I'll post them in that
form. But remember that several of the documents are hundreds of pages in
length. This will take you awhile!
David scanned and offered them in this form, and if it means that I have
to download another free viewer and run it on my lone Windows box at home
(I have over twenty other Unix and retro systems), then the convenience of
having the info available outweighs my dislike for MS, and I will do so.
> On the other hand, I have managed to check it out at work on a NT machine
> which I had till I tossed it out of my office in disgust a couple months
> back (back to just a RS/6000 and a IBM typewriter), and it was pretty
> nicely done. It took a lot of effort to put those files together and that
> effort is much appreciated, so while I hate the format I'm not really
> complaining. After all, in my opinion having to put up with a Windows PC
> in order to access the stuff is for the most part a decent tradeoff.
Thanks, Zane. A necessary evil, I agree!
Kevin
--
Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD
mcquiggi_at_sfu.ca
Received on Sun Apr 04 1999 - 18:27:56 BST