2004.03.20 16:48 "Re: [Tiff] txt to tiff", by Joris Van Damme

The user still has the minor challenge of obtaining the two programs for his operating systems. If he is using Linux, then these two programs are likely already present. If he is using Windows, then they will need to be downloaded from somewhere, or compiled from source code.

If Windows is used, then the command 'gswin32c' should be used rather than 'gs'.

I'm not quite satisfied with my previous answer, please allow me to add an example.

You've probably spent about 5 secs doing the two-lines-solution you posted. I would have spent about half an hour doing it my way. That's a huge difference. If I didn't already have my OO encapsulation of the things I use, I would have even up to several days solving this problem.

The other side of this story is 'what is going on underneath'. You solution converts txt to postscript, and does a hell of a lot of work rendering postscript, next. There's more then just 'call overhead' involved, there's actual loading and initializing of two executables. My solution renders txt directly, without going through postscript. There's no loading of executables. Your solution deployed in a commercial distribution, adds two seperate whatevers (I'm not sure how to call them) to the nightmare. My solution doesn't envolve a single DLL.

And most importantly: you yourself said 'The user still has the minor challenge...'. I'm terribly old-fashioned in thinking last thing I want to be is a user. I remember my love of what goes on underneath too much to give up on it. I remember the day when discovering 16 unused bytes in total computer memory of 32K was big news, and thus resent the fact that these two user lines make a detour through postscript, for example, even if you manage to get rid of the extra file IO involved.

Again: you've spent about 5 sec, I would have taken half an hour. Ironically, it's the *marketing* department that keeps telling me I'm wrong, and you're right. And they're probably very right to say so.... Sigh.

Joris Van Damme
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