[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Fractint 16

fechuny@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (felix chung yau) (06/17/91)

	Can anyone tell me if there is a version of Fractint for
	X windows?
	Thank you in advanced.
				F.

twegner@mwunix.mitre.org (Timothy Wegner) (06/18/91)

fechuny@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (felix chung yau) writes:


>	Can anyone tell me if there is a version of Fractint for
>	X windows?
>	Thank you in advanced.
>				F.
None yet, but I know of one very talented and hard working soul who is porting
Fractint to UNIX for a Silicon Graphics. Give him a few months at least :-) 
Once safely in UNIX, XWINDOWS should be easy (he says, knowing it won't be him
that does it!) Tim Wegner

pshuang@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (06/18/91)

In article <d1!lrbk@rpi.edu> fechuny@aix01.aix.rpi.edu writes:

 > Can anyone tell me if there is a version of Fractint for
 > X windows?

I would seriously doubt it (i.e. I've never heard of one) but there is
hope.  Fractint was originally a project which involved using very
hardware-specific front-end code to write to displays, but in the last
year or so with the addition of modes which write directly to disk files
and a Windows version, it's obvious that the graphics engine at the
center of Fractint is amenable to movement into other graphical
environments.  However, I suspect a good bit of it has been optimized to
assembler (32-bit integer arithmetic) which is specific to Intel
architecture but might translate to other chips, too.

If you have a copy of Fractint handy, why don't you think about sending
mail to the authors (most of them are available on Compuserve, which you
can fairly easily reach through the Internet-Compuserve gateway as
nnnnn.nnnn@compuserve.com) instead of asking us here secondhandedly and
ask them if a UNIX port is on the way? or if one could be started...

Singing off,
UNIX:/etc/ping instantiated (Ping Huang)

u9039899@cs.uow.edu.au (Darrin Jon Smart) (06/18/91)

A unix port of fractint is being done, as was just announced on alt.fractals
(or is it comp.fractals..)

 - Darrin

laub@Software.Mitel.COM (Boniface Lau) (06/19/91)

With all these discussions about Fractint 16, I really like to give it
a try for my PC. 

Could any kind soul out there post fraint16 to this news group?

Thanks.
-- 
Boniface Lau    (613) 592-2122 ext. 3042    laub@Software.Mitel.COM
Mitel Corp.  				    ...uunet!mitel!spock!laub
350 Legget Drive, Kanata
Ontario, Canada, K2K 1X3

laub@Software.Mitel.COM (Boniface Lau) (06/19/91)

In article <8318@laub> laub@Software.Mitel.COM (Boniface Lau) writes:
|
|With all these discussions about Fractint 16, I really like to give it
|a try for my PC. 
|
|Could any kind soul out there post fraint16 to this news group?

I just found fraint16 from comp.binaries.ibm.pc. Please ignore my
previous article. 

Thanks.

-- 
Boniface Lau    (613) 592-2122 ext. 3042    laub@Software.Mitel.COM
Mitel Corp.  				    ...uunet!mitel!spock!laub
350 Legget Drive, Kanata
Ontario, Canada, K2K 1X3

wlp@calmasd.Prime.COM (Walter L. Peterson, Jr.) (06/20/91)

In article <9106172326.AA03351@beeblebrox.MIT.EDU> pshuang@ATHENA.MIT.EDU writes:
>In article <d1!lrbk@rpi.edu> fechuny@aix01.aix.rpi.edu writes:
>
> > Can anyone tell me if there is a version of Fractint for
> > X windows?
>
>I would seriously doubt it (i.e. I've never heard of one) but there is
>hope.  Fractint was originally a project which involved using very
>hardware-specific front-end code to write to displays, but in the last
>year or so with the addition of modes which write directly to disk files
>and a Windows version, it's obvious that the graphics engine at the
>center of Fractint is amenable to movement into other graphical
>environments.  However, I suspect a good bit of it has been optimized to
>assembler (32-bit integer arithmetic) which is specific to Intel
>architecture but might translate to other chips, too.

While there is some PC specific code in Fractint, it is not tied to
the Intel 32-bit machines, since Fractint will also run on a 16 bit
8086 or 8088.  Since most of the issues involved in displaying things
on a PC involve the specific graphics adaptor  rather than the
processor, AND since most of the graphics adaptor specific stuff is
contained in a driver, rather than the fractal code itself, I would
suspect that the above statement is not completely accurate.  

>
>If you have a copy of Fractint handy, why don't you think about sending
>mail to the authors (most of them are available on Compuserve, which you
>can fairly easily reach through the Internet-Compuserve gateway as
>nnnnn.nnnn@compuserve.com) instead of asking us here secondhandedly and
>ask them if a UNIX port is on the way? or if one could be started...
>


If you are really interested in porting Fractint, however, the best
thing is to do it yourself. The latest version of the distribution AND
the latest version of the complete SOURCE CODE are available for down
loading from CompuServe.

(  GO GRAPHICS, then go to the Computer Art Forum, Library 15
( Fractals ) ).

Get the source and port it ( or otherwise enhance it ) yourself. Then,
if you like, send the code back to the main developers. If they like
it, it might just get incorporated into future releases.  That is how
most of those other authors got their names included on the start-up
screen.

BTW - there is a book just out that details the use of Version 15.11
of Fractint.  "Fractal Creations" by the Waite Group.  Two of the 
principle authors of Fractint ( Mark(?) / Mike (?) Peterson (no
relation to me) and someone else ) are the authors.  The book includes
a 5.25" DSDD distribution disk with V15.11, a poster of fractals,
including red/blue pseudo-3D and a pair of red/blue 3D glasses.  There
are also order cards for getting more fractal GIF files.

There seem to be some robustness problems with V15.11 ( it would break
very easily on me ), I downloaded V16.0 and installed it, so I have
not persued the problems with V15.11.  V16.0 works just fine.

V16.0 is great! If you enjoy fractals you'll love Fractint!




-- 
             "Exploring the Consensual Hallucination of Cyberspace"
                           Walter L. Peterson, Jr.
Internet : wlp@calmasd.Prime.COM | CompuServe : 70441,3144 | GEnie: WPETERSON5
                       "Insert generic disclaimer here"

chuj@horton.Colorado.EDU (CHU JEFFREY) (06/28/91)

In article <d1!lrbk@rpi.edu> fechuny@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (felix chung yau) writes:
>	Can anyone tell me if there is a version of Fractint for
>	X windows?
>	Thank you in advanced.
>				F.
>
>
HELP, I can't even locate FRACTINT on the ftp site I was told of.

						Thanks in Advance
							Jeff

.