PPShow40

Short:        ILBM/ANIM/GIF/JPEG/DataTypes viewer
Author:       nico@augfl.be (Nico Francois)
Uploader:     CTHULHU Belgium EU net
Type:         gfx/show
Architecture: m68k-amigaos

PPShow was written to complement one of my other utilities, PowerPacker (a
command and data cruncher).  It is used to show normal IFF ILBM files or ILBM
files crunched with PowerPacker.  The decrunching is done automatically so the
user doesn't have to know if a file is crunched or not.  From version 3.0
PPShow will now also play standard Opcode 5 animations.  The ANIM Opcode 5
format is used by most ANIM generating programs, including DPaint IV.

From version 4.0 on PPShow also plays ANIM Opcode 7 and ANIM Opcode 8
animations.  It will also show GIF, JPEG and IFF24 bit pictures.  If your
Amiga doesn't have the color capability to display a GIF (ECS machines) PPShow
will show the GIF in 16 grayscales.  JPEGs and IFF24 pictures will be shown in
HAM8 or in HAM6 (if your Amiga doesn't support HAM8).

  ***************************************************************************
  VERSION 4.0

    PPShow now supports ANIM Opcode 7 and Opcode 8 anims.  These are _MUCH_
      faster animation formats than ANIM Opcode 5, especially the longword
      versions.  PPShow does _not_ (yet) support ANIM 7 or ANIM 8 files
      without a BODY chunk in the first frame.
    Uses asynchronous I/O to read non-powerpacked files.  Much faster!
    Supports datatypes (if available), use the new DATATYPES switch to force
      datatypes use.
    PPShow will now also show IFF 24-bit pictures, GIFs and JPEGs.  Thanks
      to Rafael D'Halleweyn for writing the IFF24 parsing/decoding and
      24bit to HAM rendering routines.
    If the file requester is used PPShow will keep going back to it until
      it is canceled.
    File requester will now open with a size about equal to the full height
      of the screen it appears on.
    Multi-selection in now possible in the file requester.
    Greatly improved animation playback memory requirements.  No longer
      loads pictures or animations in one contiguous memory block.  If the
      picture or animation is not crunched with PowerPacker the file will be
      loaded in smaller segments and memory will be allocated when needed.
    No longer supports GIFVIEWER environment variable (removed because of
      builtin GIF and datatypes support).
    Removed 'l' shortcut to load a new picture/animation.
    Removed SHAM, DHAM and DRES support.  Added PCHG (Palette CHanGe)
      support for *true* "multi-palette" pictures.
    Mouse is no longer blanked by default.  Press 'm' to blank the mouse or
      use the new NOMOUSE switch.
    New SUPER72 command line option and tooltype to force PPShow to use the
      Super72 monitor (Workbench 2.1/3.0 and up only).
    Replaced NOCYCLE switch with CYCLE switch (which does exactly the
      opposite :-)
    Bug fix: ILBM pictures with a mask (stencil) did not load properly.
    Bug fix: JIFFIES 0 was not the fastest playback speed possible.
    Fixed bug in animation routine causing some animations to show rubbish
      during playback.
    Release 1.6 (36.10) of powerpacker.library included.
    Release 2.2a (38.1210) of reqtools.library included.

  ***************************************************************************

PPShow 4.0
Copyright (c) 1991-1994 Nico François
Additional code by Rafael D'Halleweyn