[mapserver-users] Full Color GD

[Stephen Lime]

The plan is to wait until after 3.5 is released and until gd2 is out of beta. As near as I can tell the gd2 implementation isn't quite complete, no support for antiliased fills/lines. They've also dropped support for FreeType 1, and unless they've updated the gd/freetype interface this is a bad thing.

Begining with 3.3 the MapServer code was reworked in anticipation of 24-bit output, but there will likely still be a good bit of work involved, especially if GIF output is still desireable (and I think it is). The folks doing the GIF patches for GD are taking the same wait-and-see attitude. I'd look at 24-bit output as the major addition for 3.6 or 4.0 (whatever the next release is numbered).

Stephen Lime
Data & Applications Manager

Minnesota DNR
500 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-297-2937
>>> Paul Ramsey <pramsey at refractions.net> 11/08/01 18:09 PM >>>

What is the development plan w/ respect to GD2 and 24-bit color? The
restriction to 8-bit color seems pretty onerous when it comes to
presenting imagery within Mapserver. (I just finished knocking a 24bit
satimage down to 8bit, and it is not nearly so pretty now.) Are the
technical problems mostly restricted to the API changes in gd2 and the
resulting requirement to touch alot of the mapserver core code, or are
there some other hidden issues I am unaware of?


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     | Paul Ramsey
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