Re: [boost] GIL - is there interest for an image library in Boost?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-06-24 12:46:54

"Andy Little" <andy_at_[hidden]> writes:

> A graph OTOH is a mathematical abstraction far removed from any
> phemomenon it is trying to represent.

I could argue that point effectively, but I don't need to.

> A pointer is similarly an abstraction far removed from the
> electronic phemonena

Really?  I thought memory addressing goes down to a pretty fundamental
level in most computers.  Well, nevermind that...

> Both Graphs and pointers are also widely computing entities with
> very widespread general purpose use.

Yes.  Images aren't widely used for many different purposes?

> Neither Graphs or pointers need a viewer for a user to make sense of them

Against both of those assertions there are good arguments.  For pointers
consider the popularity of http://www.gnu.org/software/ddd/.  For
graphs... well, have you ever tried to understand a graph that's given
some non-graphical presentation?  It's possible for small graphs, but
http://www.tomsawyer.com/home/index.php has a market with good reason.

> Imaging OTOH is a specialised area. Fact is you need a Viewer of some kind to
> work with them in any meaningful way.

And there are hundreds of image viewers available, many of them free.
There's no reason Boost has to provide one.  And a viewer is a far cry
from being a UI for the library.  The library does image
_manipulation_.

> I am being slightly cheeky and trying to probe as to whether the
> Adobe guys would also be willing to share some of their cross
> platform viewing technology with boost as a companion to or part of
> their GIL proposal.

So OTOH you were not making a serious objection to the library
proposal?

> Imagine how impressive the GIL examples would be if the library came
> with a viewer. 

I don't see how it would make the examples any more impressive.  The
library docs would surely have lots of pictures.

> Heck you could even use it for BGL and little memory boxes
> representing pointers if you felt the need.

Now I'm totally lost.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com