Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ncar!ames!killer!gtmvax!dms3b1!dave
From: dave@dms3b1.UUCP (Dave Hanna)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Structured Graphics Standard
Summary: Yeah, but we need SOMETHING
Keywords: Quickdraw MacDraw
Message-ID: <141@dms3b1.UUCP>
Date: 22 Sep 88 21:57:44 GMT
References: <5053@netnews.upenn.edu> 
Reply-To: dave@dms3b1.UUCP (Dave Hanna)
Organization: Daltech MicroSystems, Dallas
Lines: 53

In article  mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Portuesi) writes:
>
>> 4 or 5 months ago I posted a message suggesting that we need a
>> structured graphics standard for SIMPLE graphics - lines, filled
>> polygons and ellipses, and multi-font text.  I suggested that as long
>> as Apple already invented Quickdraw, we might as well use that -it's
>> simple, relatively easy to implement (all we're missing is RoundRects
>> and arbitrary regions - ok, the latter ain't so easy) - and there's
>> 400 zillion people out there using MacDraw.  The overall net response
>> was "nawww, we can do better than that."
:
>My response at the time (after checking with my MacFriends) was that the
>Quickdraw PICT format was documented by Apple for debugging purposes only.  The
>actual code to manipulate PICTS is part of the Apple ROMs and is subject to
>change without notice.  Developers are actively discouraged from writing code
>to manipulate PICTS directly.
:
>Hence, it is impossible to write an Amiga PICT reader and guarantee it to be
>compatible with Apple PICTS present and future.
:
>If you wish to use PICT as a basis for an Amiga standard, then do so.  But
>don't try to push PICT on us for compatibility reasons, which (in my opinion)
>are the only really compelling arguments for using PICT.
:                                --M
>Michael Portuesi / Information Technology Center / Carnegie Mellon University

Okay, I've said this before, but it's embarrassing to have what we all
consider to be the world's greatest computer, but have to look to a Mac
if we want to do some documentation that's got some simple graphics in it.
We've got a secretary up the hall that uses a Mac II and MacDraw ALL DAY
LONG to turn out marketing presentations full of very complicated line
graphics, but I can't find a package on the Amiga that will let me
do a simple flow chart, structure chart, org chart, block diagram,
or what have you in any kind of reasonable time.  ( I tried once.
Took one of my hand-drawn documents up to the dealer and played with
two or three paint packages, which was the best they could recommend.
It took me about 45 minutes to manipulate the drawing (which had about
5 bubbles and some label text) to the point where it was anywhere
near presentable.  At that, it wasn't high enough resolution. )

So how come we don't have the equivalent of a MacDraw program on Ami?

As for compatibility with the PICT structures, I find it difficult to
believe, even given some of the stupid stunts that Apple can pull, that
they would be stupid enought to make changes to the structure that would
render all the existing MacDraw files unuseable.  I would think that we
could build a useable program on that file structure and be fairly safe.

-- 
Dave Hanna,  Daltech MicroSystems    |  "Do or do not -- There is no try"
P.O. Box 584, Bedford, TX 76095      |                        - Yoda
(214) 358-4534   (817) 540-1524      |
UUCP:  ...!killer!gtmvax!dave        |