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November 1999
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1999.11.30 22:23 "libtiff 3.5.3 release.", by Michael L Welles
<14404.15166.862626.848917@kurtz.fake> Reply-To: mike@onshore.com FCC: sent Version 3.5.3 is now available at http://www.libtiff.org/ and ftp://ftp.onshore.com/. The ChangeLog will follow, but please note the most important change: LZW compression has been removed. Unisys has the patent on LZW compression and have been very active in their enforcement of late, demanding payments of $5000 or more from websites using unlicensed software to create GIF's. They could well do the same do persons using libtiff to create LZW compressed TIFF images. From Burn All GIF's Day (http://burnallgifs.org/): "The catch is that it appears to be difficult or impossible to get a Unisys license to use LZW in free software that complies with the Open Source Definition" Unfortunatly, the compression removal means that saved image size has grown dramatically. Without a change in the TIFF spec to support another lossless compression format, this is unavoidable. The library can use zip for lossless compression (thanks, Sam!), but as this is not part of the spec, TIFFs using zip compression may not work with other software. We will be making a patch available that will contain the LZW compression code for users who have either obtained a license from Unisys or are willing to risk it. LZW decompression is unchanged. ChangeLog ----------- Tue Nov 30 14:41:43 1999 Frank Warmerdam <warmerda@gdal.velocet.ca> ***3.5.3. release*** * Added tif_luv to contrib/djgpp/Makefile.lib. Tue Nov 30 14:15:32 EST 1999 Mike Welles <mike@onshore.com> * Added zip creation to release makefile target * Added html for TIFFWriteTile.3t man page. Tue Nov 30 09:20:16 1999 Frank Warmerdam <warmerda@gdal.velocet.ca> * Added some changes to tif_write.c to support rewriting existing fixed sized tiles and strips. Code mods disabled by default, only enabled if REWRITE_HACK is defined for now. Mon Nov 29 11:43:42 1999 Frank Warmerdam <warmerda@gdal.velocet.ca> * Added TIFFWriteTile.3t man page. Sun Nov 28 20:36:18 1999 Frank Warmerdam <warmerda@gdal.velocet.ca> * Added notes on use of makefile.vc in build.html, and fixed email subscription address. 199-11-28 Mike Welles <mike@onshore.com> * Fixed apocalypse-inducing y2k bug in contrib/ras/ras2tiff.c * Did some casts cleaning up to reduce compiler warnings in tif_fax3.c, from Bruce Carmeron <cameron@petris.com> -- modifications of changes made by Frank (sun cc still complained on cast). * Added tiffconf.h to install target per request from Bill Radcliffe <billr@corbis.com>: "We need a way for ImageMagick to know features have been compiled into the TIFF library in order to handle things properly". Sat Nov 27 16:49:21 1999 Frank Warmerdam <warmerda@gdal.velocet.ca> * fixed various VC++ warnings as suggested by Gilles Vollant <info@winimage.com>. Wed Nov 24 12:08:16 1999 Frank Warmerdam <warmerda@gdal.velocet.ca> * Modified TIFFquery.3t man pages info on TIFFIsByteSwapped() to not imply applications are responsible for image data swapping. 1999-11-22 Mike Welles <mike@onshore.com> * HTML-ized the man pages, added to html/man * Removed LZW Compression to comply with Unisys patent extortion. 1999-09-29 Mike Welles <mike@onshore.com> * Corrected one remaining 16 -> 32 bit value in tif_fax3.c, From Ivo Penzar <ivo.penzar@infolink-software.com. * Added patch from Ivo Penzar to have TiffAdvanceDirectory handle memory mapped files. <ivo.penzar@infolink-software.com> ------------------------------------------------------ M. L. Welles mike@onShore.com -------------------------------------------------------