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 Release of V4.51 TNT products
January 1994
Table of Contents
Release Notes Index
Release of TNT V4.51 products
Why this Interim Release?
TNTmips 4.5 is holding up well. This
makes it possible to identify and fix errors which now remain as corrections no
longer produce so many "ripple" effects where an error or change in
one process subsequently requires changes elsewhere. This, in turn, allows
MicroImages to supply you with custom fixes in individual detailed situations
and to rapidly provide everyone with this V4.51 release. The use of the CD-ROM
as a distribution media also enables corrected versions to be more rapidly
produced and dispatched.
The most significant error encountered to date
in V4.5 for which there is no work-around is in the importation of
AutoCAD *.DXF files. This import process actually works but is so slow
that it is impractical except for small input files. Errors in several other
processes are also being corrected with this release as outlined below.
Additional errors have been reported and fixed
in detailed specific areas in V4.5 which have not been repaired with V4.51.
In general, they have a work-around in V4.5 and have been supplied
directly to the person reporting them. Correcting these additional minor
problems such as in the display process, would have required the replacement of
most V4.5 processes which widely share this and other similarly affected
general-use features. It is highly likely that this would create more problems
than benefits without widespread retesting which is better done in the
preparation of V4.6. This would also have delayed the shipment of this V4.51
to the point that it would not have been worthwhile.
Please report other errors in V4.5 or V4.51,
one-at-a-time, as soon as encountered and you will usually get a rapid fix.
Reporting the problems as early as possible also ensures that these errors are
fixed for everyone in V4.6. Please realize that saving up a long list of
problems and sending them all at once is much more difficult for MicroImages to
manage. A simple call or hand written error sheet forwarded by FAX each time a
problem is encountered usually gets the potential problem examined immediately
on a day-by-day basis.
Installation
The enclosed CD-ROM containing V4.51
is complete and will be the CD-ROM shipped with all new orders. The
installation process has not been changed from V4.5. V4.51 can be
installed just as previously described in the MicroImages MEMO entitled Release
of TNT V4.5 products dated 30 December 1993. If you select the
directory containing V4.5 you will find, as usual, that the installation
process will check all the files and substructure in the directory, and replace
only those few files representing processes which have been changed. Alternately
you can reinstall everything in a new directory and try V4.51 before
deleting V4.5.
Should the installation of V4.51 into
the same directory as V4.5 result in the replacement of every process or
in messages to the effect that the processes in your V4.5 directory are
"newer" than those from V4.51, then you may want to check your
system for a virus.
Those still receiving TNT products via
floppy disks are not being shipped a complete new TNTmips. but only those
processes which have been changed. Simply use the RESTORE.EXE utility on
the first disk to decompress and move the processes into your TNT
directory.
Errors
Corrected
Importing
CAD Files.
Importing AutoCAD or *.DXF files is now
orders of magnitude faster. For example, importing a 1 megabyte *.DXF
file with the V4.5 process took 24 hours and with V4.51 take 4
minutes.
Exporting
MapInfo *.MDB.
Database records for each element from a
selected RVC table will be correctly exported for the MSW3.1
version of MapInfo.
RVFTORVC
Conversion.
This conversion process was leaving the new RVC
Project File locked. It has been modified so that the RVC Project File
which is created will be unlocked. Please note that we are getting calls about
how to unlock Project Files. Please refer to the section entitled File Locking
on page 11 of the V4.5 Release MEMO if you encounter this problem and
need to unlock a Project File.
UTM zones in the Southern Hemisphere
will now have their false northing correctly converted by this process.
Scanning.
An error was corrected where, under a specific
set of circumstances, the scanning process would automatically revert to 75 dpi.
It occurred if you selected any resolution before fast preview instead of after.
There was an easy work-around for this in V4.5 provided to those who
inquired. You could have reversed the order of the selection of the resolution
or reselect the desired resolution after the preview in V4.5.
Mosaic.
An intermittent error was fixed which occurred
when closing the Manual Abutment Window after selecting to abut the images with
a diagonally positioned line. To date, this is the only Application Error (under
Microsoft Windows V3.1 [MSW3.1]) or Memory Segmentation Error
(under Unix) that has been clearly traced to TNTmips. Certainly others
may be present but can not be pinned down yet to TNTmips or a specific
hardware installation as they can not be repeated by MicroImages.
Digitizers.
The large format Summagraphics Summagrid IV
digitizer is now correctly supported. This change should not affect the
operation of any other digitizer.
TNTview.
An error was fixed to allow TNTview to
access HyperIndex stacks.
TNTdemo.
A non-fatal error was fixed in the installation
sequence of TNTdemo which required the reissuing of the TNTmenu
process.
Installation.
The installation process has been corrected to
properly install V4.51 from the CD-ROM onto a Unix platform
without producing the "Not Authorized" error message in the
import/export process.
TNTdemo
The trial use of the TNT products via TNTdemo
has now been formalized and is presented in the attached descriptive materials.
Please feel free to reproduce the enclosed preliminary flier, and provide it to
those who may ask you about any of the MicroImages products. This TNTdemo
flier will be part of a series of four different color fliers we are preparing
(along with TNTmips, TNTview, and TNTatlas). Multiple
copies of the final color printing of this TNTdemo flier will be sent to
you with V4.6 of the TNT products in March.
MicroImages has already distributed several
copies of TNTdemo under this program. These have already resulted in
subsequent purchases of TNTmips.
New
Features Created for V4.6
TNTatlas.
This new MicroImages product has been created
and is now being tested across all platforms. It will allow the startup of a
HyperIndex® stack from an icon on a MSW3.1, MSNT, or X
Window desktop and immediately put the user into the index. Only two windows are
provided to make the process as simple as possible: the Project File Selection
Window and the Navigator Window. It is well to emphasize again that all
purchasers of TNTmips can install and use both TNTview and TNTatlas.
TNTmips.
The following features have been added to date
for release with TNTmips 4.6. Other new features not shown will be added
during the next 5 or 6 weeks.
Microsoft NT.
The MI/X server and other development
work for the release of the TNT products for Microsoft NT on the
Intel and DEC Alpha machines has been essentially completed.
Pin Mapping.
Provides for database queries to directly plot
symbols on georeferenced maps and images without requiring that the database
records be attached to vector or CAD elements.
Styles.
Additional improvements to the user interface
and tools to design styles for the visualization of vector/CAD elements have
been completed.
Icons.
Some icons have been added to the display and
edit tools.
Auto-color
Map alias Class CMAP.
The process formerly known as Class CMAP
has now been simplified considerably and perfected and will be included as part
of the 2D Display process.
System Changes.
MicroImages is now in the process of completing
the conversion of the C compiler used with the Microsoft Windows 3.1
version of TNTmips from WATCOM C version 9.0 to version 9.5
to allow for optimization for the 586 processor for release with V4.6.
AUW6
The annual Advanced Users' Workshop 6 was
successfully completed with attendees from around the world. Those who did not
attend AUW6 will receive a copy of its program and the suggestions
contributed by those in attendance for improved or new features in TNTmips.
TNTmips 4.5 was used continuously for 3
days in a demonstrational mode on a Gateway 2000 microcomputer using a 586
processor. Only 4 Application Errors were encountered during the 3 days. Three
of these were caused by using post V4.5 development versions of TNTmips
to demonstrate new features. These Application Errors could not be reproduced in
V4.5. The remaining Application Error occurred in the Mosaic process, and
is corrected with V4.51 as noted above.
During AUW6 there was a demonstration of
the DEC Alpha AXP PC (150 megahertz processor) running TNTmips
under Windows NT. At the time it was compared with a Gateway 586 based
system running TNTmips under MSW3.1 and found to be slower. No
explanation for this result was available at the time. Subsequent to AUW6
it was discovered that the test TNTmips processes used on the DEC
Alpha machine had many test and diagnostic code lines embedded. Undoubtedly,
this reduced performance significantly. Thus, at this time, the results of this
earlier comparison should be disregarded. When these diagnostics are removed,
MicroImages will be in a better position to comment upon the relative speed of TNTmips
on the 586 versus Alpha based PCs.
Display
Boards
The latest test comparison charts for MSW3.1
accelerator display boards are included from Byte magazine.
The chart for the Matrox display boards
(included on page 24 in the MicroImages MEMO entitled Release of TNT V4.5
products) has some minor errors in performance and is corrected and
reproduced again below. Please also note that Matrox has continued to lower the
prices on these boards so that the sample prices shown for some models may no
longer be applicable.
| Matrox MGA
Impression 3AH (3 mb VRAM, ISA bus therefore EISA
bus) |
$1000 |
| top
resolutions B, E, G, I |
|
| Matrox MGA
Impression 3MH (3 mb VRAM, MCA bus) |
$1100 |
| top
resolutions = B, E, G, I |
|
| ** Matrox MGA
Ultima 2AH (2 mb, ISA bus therefore EISA bus) |
$700 |
| top
resolutions = B, E, G, J, L |
|
| Matrox MGA
Ultima 2MH (2 mb, MCA bus) |
$900 |
| top
resolutions = B, E, G, J, L |
|
| Matrox MGA
PCI2 (2 mb, PCI bus) |
$600 |
| top
resolutions = E, G, J, L |
|
| ** Matrox MGA
PCI2+ (2 mb PCI bus) [can be expanded to 4 mb VRAM] |
$700 |
| top
resolutions = B, E, G, J, L |
|
| Matrox MGA
PCI4 (4 mb, PCI bus) |
$1000 |
| top
resolutions = A, F |
|
| Matrox MGA
VL2 (2 mb, VL bus) |
$600 |
| top
resolutions = E, G, J, L |
|
| ** Matrox MGA
VL2+ (2 mb VL bus) [can be expanded to 4 mb VRAM] |
$700 |
| top
resolutions = B, E, G, J, L |
|
| Matrox MGA
VL4 (4 mb, VL bus) |
$1000 |
| top
resolutions = A, F |
|
Only highest resolution at maximum colors are
listed in the above board list. Lower resolutions at that color
resolution can also be used.
| resolution A |
1600 by 1200
pixels by 16-bit color |
| resolution B |
1600 by 1200
pixels by 8-bit color |
| resolution C |
1280 by 1024
pixels by 24-color |
| resolution D |
1280 by 1024
pixels by 16-color |
| resolution E |
1280 by 1024
pixels by 8-bit color |
| resolution F |
1152 by 852
pixels by 24-bit color |
| resolution G |
1152 by 852
pixels by 16-bit color |
| resolution H |
1152 by 852
pixels by 8-bit color [standard Sun SPARCstation display] |
| resolution I |
1024 by 768
pixels by 24-bit color |
| resolution J |
1024 by 768
pixels by 16-bit color |
| resolution K |
1024 by 768
pixels by 8-bit color |
| resolution L |
800 by 600
pixels by 24-bit |
| resolution M |
800 by 600
pixels by 16-bit |
| resolution N |
800 by 600
pixels by 8-bit |
** At this time MicroImages recommends these
Matrox boards as the best overall performance and cost for TNTmips. This
is, of course, subject to change at any time with the continuous introduction of
new MSW3.1 display boards at progressively lower prices.
News
Items and Brochures
A Short Form Catalog on the Tatung Workstations
which clone the Sun Sparcstations is enclosed with this shipment. MicroImages
has one of these Tatung Workstations it completely compatible with the
corresponding Sun product. We also have several of their X-terminals. Generally,
you will find that these Tatung clones can be purchased at least 20% cheaper
than the corresponding Sun product, regardless of what kind of price discounts
you might already receive from Sun.
A short article is enclosed from Windows
Magazine entitled Even a Pentium isn't fast enough for me - not by a long
shot.
Another article from Aviation Week is included
on the saga of who is going to control and supply the next generation of remote
sensing satellite imagery. It also contains a forecast that the GIS market will
expand this decade to US$8 to $15 billion. Maybe this is a good reason why we
should all continue to go to all this trouble. Unfortunately, pioneers often get
arrows in their backs.
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25 March 2009 |
page update:
16 Jun 11
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