IMAL.NEW Image Measurement and Analysis Lab (formerly tnimage) -------------------------- Contents: Release notes Where to send bug reports Abbreviated installation instructions How to contact the author New features -------------------------- -------------------------- Release Notes -------------------------- 1. This software is distributed free of charge. However, in return for using this free software, users are asked to send bug reports if a bug is found (see below). 2. It is strongly recommended to use imal on a 24- or 32-bit/pixel color display. Use xdpyinfo to determine the default pixel depth. If you are running imal on an 8-bit display, close all other programs that might be displaying images before starting imal for the first time. This includes Netscape and any wallpaper images. In some cases, some of these programs may not release their colors or other X resources when they quit (especially if they crashed). In this case, if imal doesn't start, try restarting the X server. Solaris CDE users in particular should configure imal to "install colormaps". 3. If you have upgraded your operating system or added X windows fonts, delete the file "~./imal/fonts" before starting the program the first time. This will cause the list of available fonts to be rebuilt. 4. Imal uses Motif and the Xbae widget library from ftp.x.org. The precompiled versions of imal have these libraries statically linked, so it is not necessary to install Motif if you run the static version. Unfortunately, because of an unknown change in gcc, it is no longer possible for me to create a static version. Earlier static versions of imal are available at the ftp site. Note: Not all versions of Xbae are created equal. Some versions have problems with backspacing and cursor placement. Version 4.6.2, although old, is the recommended version. 5. If you create a useful scanner or camera config. file, custom image format, or new wavelet that might be of benefit to other users, feel free to send it and I will include it in future releases. 6. If you discover an image file that causes a problem with imal, please send me a copy of the file along with a bug report. 7. Some versions of XFree86 have a bug for 24-bit packed-pixel mode that may cause images to be displayed incorrectly on some video cards (e.g., laptops using CT 65554 based video cards). If this happens, try using the "-sparse" or "-nosparse" options for imal. These can also be put in your imal.ini file. 8. On some systems, running the static version of imal gives the message: loadlocale.c:220: _nl_load_locale: Assertion `idx % __alignof__ (u_int32_t) == 0' failed. This means the locale on your computer is not set. Run the following command before starting imal: export LC_ALL=POSIX 9. On some systems, starting imal gives a long string of messages like: Warning: translation table syntax error: Unknown keysym name: osfActivate Warning: ... found while parsing ':osfActivate: ManagerParentActivate()' Warning: String to TranslationTable conversion encountered errors It is also impossible to enter any text in imal or any other Motif application such as nedit. Do not use the program without fixing this problem, or it will eventually cause it to crash. This problem is caused by a bug in Motif, which causes it to look in the wrong location for a critical file. To fix the problem, type the following commands: su cd /usr/share/X11 cp XKeysymDB /usr/X11R6/lib/X11 -------------------------- Where to send bug reports -------------------------- Email bug reports to tjnelson at randombio.com. If the program crashes, creates a bad file or printout, draws the screen incorrectly, or if a function is slow, confusing, or difficult to use or find, this is a bug. Give enough information to enable me to reproduce the problem. All bug reports are important and receive immediate attention. I will also be happy to hear suggestions for new features (I might even include them). Contributions of new code, new plugins, or bug fixes are particularly welcome. Before sending a bug report, run the program in diagnostic mode by typing: imal -diag > logfile Include this log file with your bug report. This will provide a record of what sequence of actions caused the problem. It is not necessary to include a bugfix. If the problem is that imal does not compile, type: make &> errfile and mail the errfile instead. ------------------------------------- Abbreviated Installation Instructions ------------------------------------- To compile imal, type "./configure", then "make". If you have trouble with freetype, use "./configure --disable-xft" instead. To install imal, type "make install" as root. If this procedure doesn't work, consult the manual. The Install script copies several auxiliary files to the following directories: /usr/local/lib/imal/ (imal.hlp) /usr/local/lib/imal/ (formats) /usr/man/man1/ (imal.1.gz) /usr/local/bin/ (imal) $HOME/.imal (plugins, scanners, etc.) More detailed instructions and problem-solving tips for compiling imal for various operating systems are in the manual. -------------------------- How to contact the author -------------------------- E-mail addresses for questions & problems: tjnelson at randombio dot com