Ghostscript 8 released!

[whoosh777]

A.F.P.L Ghostscript 8 released today!

Visit http://www.whoosh777.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/atlast.html,

you can download or view the manual online from there.

Ghostscript is a program for viewing + printing + converting
PS + PDF, this release version includes a rejuvenated
Turboprint printing option, so you can print PS and PDF in
24 bit colour via turboprint.

The emphasis of Ghostscript is on printing rather than viewing,
but I have done a lot of work on the viewers which I wrote completely
from scratch, ie they are brand new.

This is an optimised FPU noixemul 68020 compile,
I will make available in the next few days a no-FPU version.

One of the advantages of Ghostscript is that it keeps current
with regards to PS + PDF versions, so this port understands
Postscript levels 1,2,3. Earlier Ghostscripts such as 6.50 and
5.10 only reach level 2.

There are 6 viewing options for graphics cards (Cybergraphics,
Picasso), which include option to view PS and PDF
on a 24 bit rgb colour WB window. Also available is the option to
view in 24 bit colour on a custom screen window, this has the
advantage of allowing lower resolutions which speeds up the
viewer graphics features.

:For extra speed you can use the 256 shades of gray viewer on
a cyber depth 8 screen, this should be twice as fast as a 16 bit
screen viewer.

Also there are 6 viewing options for AGA, the highest quality
image is from the HAM8 custom screen viewer. You can also view
PS and PDF in colour on a WB window, the colour allocation is
via the OS so its acceptable but imperfect. For high quality
colour on AGA use the HAM8 viewer for 262144 colour viewing.

Printing can also be done via AmigaOS printer in 12 bit 4096 colour,
as well as in shades of gray and 1 bit b/w.

PS + PDF docs can also be converted by Ghostscript to many formats including
jpeg, png, bmp, various fax formats, etc

:eg You can convert a PS page into jpeg for inclusion in a web page,

As you know a lot of info on the internet is available only in PS and PDF
formats, Ghostscript enables you to view or print these in full quality.

For an ascii art picture summary of what Ghostscript does use the following URL:

http://www.whoosh777.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/webmanual.html#introduction

The Cyber viewers have been tested on 4 cards and in depth on 2 cards
so they may fail on some graphics cards, if so email me and I will
attempt to fix things.

I am interested also in feedback on how the viewers function on
Pegasos and A1.


One other thing: Ghostscript 8 is completely free of charge!
(download it via the links in the html manual mentioned earlier)

[Billsey]

You must mean the Amiga version, since I've been using the Mac version for quite some time.

[KennyR]

Great! I'll check it out straight away. :pint:

[Framiga]

by Billsey on 2003/7/18 17:08:00

You must mean the Amiga version, since I've been using the Mac version for quite some time.

Aren't we on AMIGA.org? . . .or not :-D

Bye!

[whoosh777]

by Billsey on 2003/7/18 16:08:00

>You must mean the Amiga version, since I've been using the Mac version for
>quite some time.

yes!

Ghostscript 8.00 is officially dated as 21 Nov 2002,

as usual Apple, PC, Unix, Linux are always there,

I found no mention of Amiga, and I think no other platforms either,
my work is based on reworking the Unix-gcc source code, creating
from scratch the AmigaOS printer + viewer options (AGA + Cyber)
and a major fixing of the Turboprint source codes
which a lot of people request.

I created the pre-release in February out of necessity:
I had bought a very cheap lazer printer fully unsupported on
AmigaOS, so I had a choice:

return lazer printer for refund OR recompile Ghostscript to include the driver
for my printer Samsung ML-4500, I chose the latter path.

The c-driver I downloaded from a Suse Linux site, it had major bugs,
I successfully debugged it in 1-2 weeks, I also managed a whole series
of things which one of the top Suse Linux printer site people
claimed was not possible, eg he said he failed to change the
driver name from gdi, I did this in about 1/2 an hour its there now
as samsung_gdi, the website claimed that this driver could only be
used in Suse Linux 8 upwards and only on Ghostscript 6 upwards yet
I managed to hack it into Ghostscript 510 on the Amiga,

I emailed this Suse Linux guy and he never even bothered to reply!

The problem with Linux is everything is automated for them they just
click and things happen automatically, when there is a real problem
they are quite clueless as I discovered from the above experience,
the impenetrability of Linux doesnt help either,
Linux is a real dependency-culture. On the Amiga we are used to
hacking down to quite a low level, the Amiga is such an open and
usable environment.

This Ghostscript 8 as you pointed out is for
68020 FPU compatible Amigas, the Amiga specific parts are
totally unrelated to any Mac specific parts. I know some
Mac people who wish to use the Turboprint option of the port
for printing pdf's created on macs so it may be worth looking at that.

This is credit to Florian Zeillers work on the Turboprint program,
I am not a printer person myself, I come to the project with
generic computing skills no printer expertise as such though I am
learning.

Probably the Mac community dont like Ghostscript as it gives
DTP power to the masses for free!

[Framiga]

@ whoosh777

i've just downloaded and installed GS8.

From shell works fine but from TP, doesn't.

I suggest you, to write an installer.

Ciao

[MichaelMerkel]

by Framiga on 2003/7/18 22:20:03
@ whoosh777
i've just downloaded and installed GS8.
From shell works fine but from TP, doesn't.

have you correctly set the command inside pagestream? it should look like that:

GS8:bin/gs_2n >NIL: -sDEVICE=tp24 -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -q

note that with this release the devices are different compared to the old port (v5.x). have a look at the documentation of gs8.

whoosh, please remove obsolete devices - e.g. "Turboprint, tp24x, tp16x" from the release.

byebye...

[whoosh777]

MichaelMerkel said:

>whoosh, please remove obsolete devices - e.g. "Turboprint, tp24x, tp16x"
>from the release.

suggestion noted, I will try to tidy up the device lists
this will make its way onto the fix.html webpage where I will
put update info. The device list can only be changed via a
full recompile, so I cannot do it immediately.

probably I will also put more info into the documentation
eg explanations of the main switches such as -dNOPAUSE, etc,

also I should really put more info explaining about using
Ghostscript for newcomers.

Currently the prelease doc file

http://www.whoosh777.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/amiga_readme.RTFI

has more introductory info, however there are some legacy
things in there but its worth a read.

whoosh777

[Framiga]

by whoosh777 on 2003/7/19 0:37:18

suggestion noted, I will try to tidy up the device lists
this will make its way onto the fix.html webpage where I will
put update info. The device list can only be changed via a
full recompile, so I cannot do it immediately.

------------------------------------------

as already said, printing and viewing from shell, works fine.

Via TP-PS, GS8 searches "gs_init.ps" and other stuff, in GS5.10 dir.

I think that could be a problem of incompatibility between the two assigns (GS510 and GS800).

ATM, i'm still using GS5.10 again.

Ciao

PS-please, can you post here or on your site, the exact TREE of GS8 installation?

I've created a drawer called GS8 and then i've unarchived all the lha archives into it.
Then i've created the 3 assigns (GS8-GS8Data-GS8Fonfs) as written on the doc.

Where is my mistake?

Thanks

[Billsey]

Probably the Mac community dont like Ghostscript as it gives DTP power to the masses for free!

No doubt! I've found that on Mac FTP sites there are programs requiring shareware fees—programs that are little more than “Hello World”. :-)

If I had the capability, I'd be strongly tempted to write a highly complex, can't-live-without-it, feature packed program and throw it up on Info-Mac for free just to piss off the greedy, erm, ones. :-D

[MichaelMerkel]

as already said, printing and viewing from shell, works fine.

Via TP-PS, GS8 searches "gs_init.ps" and other stuff, in GS5.10 dir.

how do you try to print with turboprint?
i mean do you call it from shel like that:
gs_2n -sDEVICE=tp24 blabla...

or do you use the gs.handler (e.g. copy the ps file to device PS:)?

how does the ghostscript commandline inside turboprint look like?

maybe an "assign ghostscript: gs8:" can help?

byebye...

[Framiga]

by MichaelMerkel on 2003/7/19 14:59:36

how do you try to print with turboprint?
i mean do you call it from shel like that:
gs_2n -sDEVICE=tp24 blabla...

in this way, GS8 works fine.

Through gs-handler (PS:), not.

Note that i already have, an assign for Ghostscript (5.10) in a drawer called "Gostscript".

Ciao

[DarkAngel]

What you really should tell us is your current Turboprint Version, the commandline used, ... (or even better a screenshot from Turboprefs "PS").

[Framiga]

by DarkAngel on 2003/7/19 15:51:25

What you really should tell us is your current Turboprint Version, the commandline used, ... (or even better a screenshot from Turboprefs "PS").

Now GS8, works even through PS: handler.

I've assigned Ghostscript: GS8: (the last assign)

This assign, overwrite the 5.10 one. Then i've copied the L:gs-handler drawer, from GS5.10 to GS8.

Obviously that operation, make GS5.10, invisible to the system.

Now i'll test if still using GS8 or go back to 5.10. (no speed/quality gain IMHO)

Ciao
 

[DarkAngel]

Sorry, but if you see no speed or quality gain, you should better clean your glasses.
I had it both running during Betatesting and the quality and speed improvements can be very heavy.
Possibly not if you are using 9pin needle printer, but on modern printers.........

I made every print on both ghostscript versions and there is a difference, especially on the render engine, dithering and color.

There was a print on a glossy paper, which i later send to the programmer, that was so impressive, everybody wanted to have one from me.

Speed improvements are heavy for example on using Finalwriter97 and PS: output.