> > Actually, I've been thinking about putting something together for Linux to allow
>reading the QST (QST View), QEX and NCJ CD-ROM collections. Having the images in
>TIFF/JPEG format makes that a lot more feasible.
>
> Yep. That sounds great. Perhaps not too hard using Tcl/Tk or Perl/Tk
> or similar. So the QST View CDs also use the TIF/JPG mix? Glad to hear
> they're not all in the MS proprietary format.
Actually, the QST View CD-ROMs are all TIFF, although the 1995-1999 set will be
TIFF/JPEG.
What I've been thinking of is a Perl application that uses Perl/Tk to implement the
UI, ImageMagick to display and print the pages and DBI to access the article database.
(DBI would allow easy porting to the database engine of your choice.) I'm open to
other suggestions, though.
> > > The AView program is yuck.
> >
> > Not a particularly informative comment. Did you have some specific gripe or were
>you just trying to be insulting?
>
> Sorry, no offense was intended. It is certainly usable. However, I would
> prefer that the original formatting/layout was maintained, as with
> PDF or TIF/JPG etc.
The AView program is used only with the page-scan products (that use the TIFF/JPEG
images), so that point doesn't really apply to AView.
> The QST/NCJ/QEX viewer (looking at 1998 for example)
> does not preserve the formatting. From memory images are viewed separately
> too (although I don't have the CD in the drive to confirm that at present.)
That's true of the pre-1999 annual CD-ROMs. The 1996, 1997 and 1998 products were
produced using Media View, as were editions of the Handbook CD prior to the 2000
edition. (The 1995 CD was produced using DynaText, which is similar to Media View.)
The 1999 Periodicals CD and the 2000 Handbook CD are in PDF.
Sometime later this year I expect we'll have the 1995-1999 QST View CD-ROM available,
at which time all issues of QST from 1915-1999 will be available in TIFF/JPEG format.
(Sorry to take up the list bandwidth with this, but I do want to point out that we're
transitioning our electronic publications to more standard -- and thus Linux-friendly
-- formats.)
73, Jon
--
Jon Bloom, KE3Z
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Electronic Publications Manager
(CD-ROM publications, software products and Web site)
