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- README for libpng version 1.5.9 - February 18, 2012 (shared library 15.0)
- See the note about version numbers near the top of png.h
- See INSTALL for instructions on how to install libpng.
- Libpng comes in several distribution formats. Get libpng-*.tar.gz,
- libpng-*.tar.xz or libpng-*.tar.bz2 if you want UNIX-style line endings
- in the text files, or lpng*.zip if you want DOS-style line endings.
- Version 0.89 was the first official release of libpng. Don't let the
- fact that it's the first release fool you. The libpng library has been in
- extensive use and testing since mid-1995. By late 1997 it had
- finally gotten to the stage where there hadn't been significant
- changes to the API in some time, and people have a bad feeling about
- libraries with versions < 1.0. Version 1.0.0 was released in
- March 1998.
- ****
- Note that some of the changes to the png_info structure render this
- version of the library binary incompatible with libpng-0.89 or
- earlier versions if you are using a shared library. The type of the
- "filler" parameter for png_set_filler() has changed from png_byte to
- png_uint_32, which will affect shared-library applications that use
- this function.
- To avoid problems with changes to the internals of png_info_struct,
- new APIs have been made available in 0.95 to avoid direct application
- access to info_ptr. These functions are the png_set_<chunk> and
- png_get_<chunk> functions. These functions should be used when
- accessing/storing the info_struct data, rather than manipulating it
- directly, to avoid such problems in the future.
- It is important to note that the APIs do not make current programs
- that access the info struct directly incompatible with the new
- library. However, it is strongly suggested that new programs use
- the new APIs (as shown in example.c and pngtest.c), and older programs
- be converted to the new format, to facilitate upgrades in the future.
- ****
- Additions since 0.90 include the ability to compile libpng as a
- Windows DLL, and new APIs for accessing data in the info struct.
- Experimental functions include the ability to set weighting and cost
- factors for row filter selection, direct reads of integers from buffers
- on big-endian processors that support misaligned data access, faster
- methods of doing alpha composition, and more accurate 16->8 bit color
- conversion.
- The additions since 0.89 include the ability to read from a PNG stream
- which has had some (or all) of the signature bytes read by the calling
- application. This also allows the reading of embedded PNG streams that
- do not have the PNG file signature. As well, it is now possible to set
- the library action on the detection of chunk CRC errors. It is possible
- to set different actions based on whether the CRC error occurred in a
- critical or an ancillary chunk.
- The changes made to the library, and bugs fixed are based on discussions
- on the PNG-implement mailing list and not on material submitted
- privately to Guy, Andreas, or Glenn. They will forward any good
- suggestions to the list.
- For a detailed description on using libpng, read libpng-manual.txt. For
- examples of libpng in a program, see example.c and pngtest.c. For usage
- information and restrictions (what little they are) on libpng, see
- png.h. For a description on using zlib (the compression library used by
- libpng) and zlib's restrictions, see zlib.h
- I have included a general makefile, as well as several machine and
- compiler specific ones, but you may have to modify one for your own needs.
- You should use zlib 1.0.4 or later to run this, but it MAY work with
- versions as old as zlib 0.95. Even so, there are bugs in older zlib
- versions which can cause the output of invalid compression streams for
- some images. You will definitely need zlib 1.0.4 or later if you are
- taking advantage of the MS-DOS "far" structure allocation for the small
- and medium memory models. You should also note that zlib is a
- compression library that is useful for more things than just PNG files.
- You can use zlib as a drop-in replacement for fread() and fwrite() if
- you are so inclined.
- zlib should be available at the same place that libpng is, or at.
- ftp://ftp.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/zlib
- You may also want a copy of the PNG specification. It is available
- as an RFC, a W3C Recommendation, and an ISO/IEC Standard. You can find
- these at http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/documents/
- This code is currently being archived at libpng.sf.net in the
- [DOWNLOAD] area, and on CompuServe, Lib 20 (PNG SUPPORT)
- at GO GRAPHSUP. If you can't find it in any of those places,
- e-mail me, and I'll help you find it.
- If you have any code changes, requests, problems, etc., please e-mail
- them to me. Also, I'd appreciate any make files or project files,
- and any modifications you needed to make to get libpng to compile,
- along with a #define variable to tell what compiler/system you are on.
- If you needed to add transformations to libpng, or wish libpng would
- provide the image in a different way, drop me a note (and code, if
- possible), so I can consider supporting the transformation.
- Finally, if you get any warning messages when compiling libpng
- (note: not zlib), and they are easy to fix, I'd appreciate the
- fix. Please mention "libpng" somewhere in the subject line. Thanks.
- This release was created and will be supported by myself (of course
- based in a large way on Guy's and Andreas' earlier work), and the PNG
- development group.
- Send comments/corrections/commendations to png-mng-implement at
- lists.sourceforge.net (subscription required; visit
- https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/png-mng-implement
- to subscribe) or to glennrp at users.sourceforge.net
- You can't reach Guy, the original libpng author, at the addresses
- given in previous versions of this document. He and Andreas will
- read mail addressed to the png-implement list, however.
- Please do not send general questions about PNG. Send them to
- png-mng-misc at lists.sf.net (subscription required; visit
- https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/png-mng-misc to
- subscribe). If you have a question about something
- in the PNG specification that is related to using libpng, send it
- to me. Send me any questions that start with "I was using libpng,
- and ...". If in doubt, send questions to me. I'll bounce them
- to others, if necessary.
- Please do not send suggestions on how to change PNG. We have
- been discussing PNG for sixteen years now, and it is official and
- finished. If you have suggestions for libpng, however, I'll
- gladly listen. Even if your suggestion is not used immediately,
- it may be used later.
- Files in this distribution:
- ANNOUNCE => Announcement of this version, with recent changes
- CHANGES => Description of changes between libpng versions
- KNOWNBUG => List of known bugs and deficiencies
- LICENSE => License to use and redistribute libpng
- README => This file
- TODO => Things not implemented in the current library
- Y2KINFO => Statement of Y2K compliance
- example.c => Example code for using libpng functions
- libpng.3 => manual page for libpng (includes libpng-manual.txt)
- libpng-manual.txt => Description of libpng and its functions
- libpngpf.3 => manual page for libpng's private functions
- png.5 => manual page for the PNG format
- png.c => Basic interface functions common to library
- png.h => Library function and interface declarations (public)
- pngpriv.h => Library function and interface declarations (private)
- pngconf.h => System specific library configuration (public)
- pngstruct.h => png_struct declaration (private)
- pnginfo.h => png_info struct declaration (private)
- pngdebug.h => debugging macros (private)
- pngerror.c => Error/warning message I/O functions
- pngget.c => Functions for retrieving info from struct
- pngmem.c => Memory handling functions
- pngbar.png => PNG logo, 88x31
- pngnow.png => PNG logo, 98x31
- pngpread.c => Progressive reading functions
- pngread.c => Read data/helper high-level functions
- pngrio.c => Lowest-level data read I/O functions
- pngrtran.c => Read data transformation functions
- pngrutil.c => Read data utility functions
- pngset.c => Functions for storing data into the info_struct
- pngtest.c => Library test program
- pngtest.png => Library test sample image
- pngtrans.c => Common data transformation functions
- pngwio.c => Lowest-level write I/O functions
- pngwrite.c => High-level write functions
- pngwtran.c => Write data transformations
- pngwutil.c => Write utility functions
- contrib => Contributions
- gregbook => source code for PNG reading and writing, from
- Greg Roelofs' "PNG: The Definitive Guide",
- O'Reilly, 1999
- msvctest => Builds and runs pngtest using a MSVC workspace
- pngminus => Simple pnm2png and png2pnm programs
- pngsuite => Test images
- visupng => Contains a MSVC workspace for VisualPng
- projects => Contains project files and workspaces for
- building a DLL
- cbuilder5 => Contains a Borland workspace for building
- libpng and zlib
- visualc6 => Contains a Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC)
- workspace for building libpng and zlib
- visualc71 => Contains a Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC)
- workspace for building libpng and zlib
- xcode => Contains an Apple xcode
- workspace for building libpng and zlib
- scripts => Directory containing scripts for building libpng:
- (see scripts/README.txt for the list of scripts)
- Good luck, and happy coding.
- -Glenn Randers-Pehrson (current maintainer, since 1998)
- Internet: glennrp at users.sourceforge.net
- -Andreas Eric Dilger (former maintainer, 1996-1997)
- Internet: adilger at enel.ucalgary.ca
- Web: http://www-mddsp.enel.ucalgary.ca/People/adilger/
- -Guy Eric Schalnat (original author and former maintainer, 1995-1996)
- (formerly of Group 42, Inc)
- Internet: gschal at infinet.com
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