graphics viewers (was http://www.slcc.edu/lynx/release2-8/lynx2-8/lynx_help/lynx-dev.html)

[Klaus Weide]

> > > on Linux, he could display using zgv. 
> >  
> > I'm not familiar with that; Lynx has facilites to launch X graphics 
> > display programs but no samples I have seen for using any PC-UNIX 
> > utilities that might exist. I was referring to traditional video 
> > consoles with alphanumeric displays. 
> 
On Wed, 7 Apr 1999 address@hidden wrote:
> I only see "viewing graphics".  zgv uses svgalib.  I'm aware of (but not
> familiar with) similar programs on other UNIX consoles.

See also the AA-Project at <http://www.ta.jcu.cz/aa/>

Excerpts from ANNOUNCE and README files:
----------- snip -----------
Why such library?
=================

   I vote for simplicity. There are many problems of various kinds with
video cards, low frequency monitors, crashing graphical apps... AA-lib
IS the solution. It works on a terminal of any kind, it is fast and
portable, it gives to you standard API. It gives to your old hardware
more power!

Supports: dos (VGA + MDA), stdio, curses, slang, X11, gpm, linux-console, OS/2

What does this software do then ?
=================================

   AA-lib is a low level gfx library just as many other libraries are.
The main difference is that AA-lib does not require graphics device. In
fact, there is no graphical output possible. AA-lib replaces those
old-fashioned output methods with powerful ascii-art renderer. [...]
----------- snip -----------

I have tried it (the Debian packages); aview/asciiview allows to view
graphics files (various formats; depends on converters like netpbm)
without using graphics mode, it should work on vt100 terminals etc.
As you can imagine, the resolution is limited; it may or may not give
a useful display for a given image file.  But it's fun to play around
with.  One can zoom and pan, change contrast, brightness, gamma,...


   Klaus