[comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d] which is the best gif viewer?

hp0p+@andrew.cmu.edu (Hokkun Pang) (02/01/91)

i have tried all three: cshow, vpic and vuimg. none of them is really any
better than the others, although i often use vpic for its speed. can someone
convince me to stick with any one of them? (ie, that one of them is clearly
better than the other two?).

vgopal@cbnewsc.att.com (venu.p.gopal) (02/05/91)

In article <IbeB=ma00V86I_IW0V@andrew.cmu.edu> hp0p+@andrew.cmu.edu (Hokkun Pang) writes:
>i have tried all three: cshow, vpic and vuimg. none of them is really any
>better than the others, although i often use vpic for its speed. can someone
>convince me to stick with any one of them? (ie, that one of them is clearly
>better than the other two?).


Well, they all have different advantages/disadvantages depending on
what's important to you.

VPIC and VUIMAGE are faster than CSHOW (all current versions).

VUIMAGE can Zoom and Pan on any image, other two cannot Zoom, and panning
is limited by memory.

VPIC can convert between image formats - the other two cannot.

VUIMAGE can print (scaled to any size selected by the user).  CSHOW
(non-registered) and VPIC dont.

VPIC and CSHOW support more formats.  VUIMAGE supports GIF/TIFF only
(non-registered version).

VPIC and VUIMAGE support slideshow (non-registered version).

The list can go on...  Please feel free to add/delete/modify/comment.
What is best for one person is not necessarily the best for others.


Venu P. Gopal   UUCP: ..!att!cbnewsc!vgopal   Internet: vgopal@cbnewsc.att.com

davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr) (02/07/91)

Timo - would this be too long to put in the FAQ list? It's one of the
best summaries of the viewers I've seen. [ -bill ]

In article <1991Feb4.232335.3450@cbnewsc.att.com> vgopal@cbnewsc.att.com (venu.p.gopal) writes:
| In article <IbeB=ma00V86I_IW0V@andrew.cmu.edu> hp0p+@andrew.cmu.edu (Hokkun Pang) writes:
| >i have tried all three: cshow, vpic and vuimg. none of them is really any
| >better than the others, although i often use vpic for its speed. can someone
| >convince me to stick with any one of them? (ie, that one of them is clearly
| >better than the other two?).
| 
| 
| Well, they all have different advantages/disadvantages depending on
| what's important to you.
|
|	[ ... list ... ]

To this excellent list I will add that vuimg seems to support more of
the extensions to the gif89a standard than the others, as of today, vpic
doesn't seem to do horizontal panning regardless of memory, and the
memory limit is in the video board, not the system for cshow and vpic.
Also vpic uses text config files and a compiler (cvpic) so you can roll
your own easily.

  I guess those could be added to the list, too.

  I am going to put the gif 87 and 89 standards on the archive server
here for people to pull. They are already on simtel20 for ftp, don't
even ask. I'm looking for the source of a program called glist which
lists the characteristics of GIF files...
-- 
bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen)
    sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX
    moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me