Conference vaxuum::document_ft

    The only way I can think of turning  your ASCII diagrams into sixel
    format is to use CAPTURE, or the "print portion of sceen" VAXstation
    menu option  (but be warned, they will print at a much lower resolution
    than you are used to, about 75 DPI I think).  I believe there is
    another note about CAPTURE somewhere in this conference.
    
    I, for one, would like nothing more than to see PICMODE die the
    speedy death it deserves.  If you have access to a VAXsation II
    you can run GRED or SIGHT (for working with DOCUMENT I would recommend
    GRED, but both work well) and create superior looking graphics.  SIGHT
    will work on a PRO as well.  For more information on these tools see 
    the conferences: VAXUUM::DOC_GRAPHICS (for GRED), or SARAH::SIGHT.  
    If they leave you confused send me mail at DECWET::KOSAK and I might 
    be able to point you in the right direction.  I've also got some GRED 
    aids you might be interested in.
    
    
    
    -- Craig
    

    
    You can turn ASCII files into sixel files by using DECslide with
    the command;
    
    $SLIDE/NOINTERACTIVE/SIXEL MY_ASCII_FILE.TXT
    
    This will produce a sixel file named MY_ASCII_FILE.SLS.
    
    
    				Lance
     

RE: .2

Note 514.2 has been deleted due to abusive language which does not have
a place in this notesfile. Please don't take this as a stifling of differences
of opinion. Differences of opinion are welcome; personal attacks, however,
are not. 

--Brian

    I would like to apologize to anyone who took offense at my first
    reply to this topic.  I didn't get a chance to read .2 before it
    was deleted, so I'm not sure what the problem was.
    
    I realize that many people may not have access to a workstation
    or PRO, and would therefore need PICMODE to produce any kind of
    "illustration" online.  My reply was aimed at those that have a
    choice and still opt for PICMODE.  Still, I hope that PICMODE is
    never used in documents that land in the hands of our customers.
    
    I would also encourage every group that doesn't have some kind of
    computer that can handle graphics applications to start budgeting 
    for one.  It won't be long before you really can't do without it.
    
    Apologetically,
    
    -- Craig

    It's true that workstations are the wave of the future, but I think
    that a lot of people will be sticking with plain old terminals for
    awhile. 
    
    It's ironic that [what I think is] a major raison d'etre of DOCUMENT 
    is to have a cheap formatting tool (so that people who don't have 
    workstations can do nice output), yet there is no support for the
    VT100 line drawing set. I can see how this would be frustrating.
    
    Marty

    Re: .2 and .4
    
    I was the culprit in note .2 and I apologise for the outburst. This
    was brought on by the frustration we have over here of dealing with
    technology (internal) which is way out-of-date and never seems to
    get upgraded. We rely on PICMode and LN01s here so you may see why
    I was upset.
    
    Gut reactions get you nowhere. I reread my note before posting it
    and wondered...
    
    Gavin

    I hope I'm not rubbing salt in any wounds, but with the price of
    VS2000 being dropped to $5-10K range, that makes the internal price
    $1-2K.  Its hard to believe that any manager could argue an expense
    hit of $400-$800/year for roughly 3 years to capitalize one of those
    things.
    
    We in Software Services also know the pain of dealing with out of date
    equipment (within the last year we finally got rid of our last VT52's
    and VT62's in our office!!!)  But we've also discovered that unless you
    make a case for what you need in dollars and cents (sense?) and in
    writing, you rarely get anywhere.
    
    -tl
     

    I don't wish to duplicate an argument running in HUMAN::DIGITAL
    but there is a difference between theory and practice. Additionally,
    this side of the pond things are slow. Wanna see an example? We
    ordered a couple of LN03s last September. They arrived three weeks
    ago minus the RAM cartridges required for DOC'T! We are a support
    group - for most of our needs we can use VT220s so who is going
    to buy anything bigger?
    
    Gavin