Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 20:43:07 +0000
From: Ole Aamot <oleaa@ifi.uio.no>
To: gnome-announce-list@gnome.org, crosser@average.org, gphoto@lists.styx.net,
Subject: GNU Photo

[ Dr Mike at RedHat suggested that I posted to the GNOME announcement 
  list, so here it is.  This is an invitation to join the project. ]

I own an Olympus Camedia 400L that works extremely nice with photopc,
a command-line based program to download thumbnails and images from
some digital still cameras.  <URL:ftp://ftp.average.org/pub/photopc/>.

Also, I'm an eager C programmer who would like to explore the world of
GNOME applications, by developing a GTK+ based, GNOME front-end for 
the photopc library, and release it under the GNU Public License, and
replace a non-free software alternative, JCam. <http://www.jcam.com/>

The JCam developers told me they have signed NDAs with companies like 
Agfa, Kodak, Canon, Fuji, etc... obviously they refuse to give me any
free specs or share source code.

Eugene Crosser <crosser@average.org> has put a lot of effort into his
eph_* library (as used in photopc, a command-line based package), that
supports cameras that use a certain control protocol, namely the Agfa
ePhoto line, Epson PhotoPC line, Olympus Camedia line and Sanyo cameras.

He replied, to my question regarding the license of the photopc library:

> No problem, as stated in the "license", you may use the photopc source
> for anything, and distribute it under any license (I am happy that it
> continues to be free, though), if you put something like "contains
> code copyrighted (c) by Eugene Crosser <...> and Bruce Lightner <...>"
> near your own copyright.  Exact formula is up to you.

I would, most likely, name the GNOME application "GNU Photo" (GPhoto),
because I support the GNU philosophy, and run Linux-based GNU systems.

GNU Photo (GPhoto) will aim to be the first GNOME front-end for digital 
cameras.  It should let you download and save digital images as JPEG,
set and query camera parameters, from your Epson, Olympus, Agfa, Sanyo,
or Nikon (CoolPix) digital camera.

GNU Photo will use the core photopc library developed by Eugene Crosser 
<crosser at average.org>, but have the feel of a typical GNOME desktop
application.

I will add that there are a lot of funny stuff to sort, and a lot of 
grief before us, if we want GNU Photo to support all the digital 
cameras which are on the market today.  I'm not sure about any goals, 
but _that_ would a close one.

Additional, GNU Photo could possibly interoperate with SANE, if 
someone writes a SANE driver, based on the photopc library.

GNU Photo's graphical interface will use the GIMP Tool Kit, GTK+, 
and it will gradually have various neat features like single click 
file viewing, external editor support for the GIMP and ee, thumbnail 
preview, and zoom features.

GNU Photo will be published under the terms of the GNU General
Public License, v.2, by Richard Stallman, as published by the 
Free Software Foundation.

I've added GNU Photo to the GNOME application map at
<URL:http://www.gnome.org/applist/view.phtml?name=GNU%20Photo%20(GPhoto)>

Further details and news on the progress will within a few hours be
posted on <URL:http://gphoto.fix.no/gphoto/>.

Please don't expect any beta versions of GNU Photo to be released by me, 
until maybe late in December or more likely in early January (due to my
exams).

(That is just, unless I get a full fledged GNU Photo team of experienced
 GNOME hackers to join the project, and speed up progress. :-)

Please send me a e-mail, if you want to join the GNU Photo team, or join
the mailinglist at <URL:http://lists.styx.net/mailman/listinfo/gphoto/>.

Thank you.

--
Ole Aamot, Undergraduate student, Dept. of Maths, Uni. of Oslo, Norway.

`It would seem that you have no useful skill or talent whatsoever,
 have you thought of going into teaching?'    -- Terry Pratchett, "Mort"


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