Subject: HDF Newsletter #16

From: [email-masked] (Shiming Xu)
Date: 25 May 1995 15:34:40 GMT

HDF Newsletter #16
                      Apr.  1995
                         
CONTENTS

  o Conflict user-definable tag ranges
  o HDF3.3r4 patch04
  o Release binaries for UNIX machines
  o Correction on Mac version number
  o Update on HDF User's Guide
  o Status of HDF new releases
  o New contributions
  o Update on Collage and Mosaic 
  o HDF home page and fill-out forms

Conflict user-definable tag ranges
----------------------------------

We want to thank the users in the Space Radiation Lab of Caltec for bringing 
a serious problem to our attention. 

On page 1.2 of HDF Specifications and Developer's Guide, version 3.2 
Sept. 1993 the following range of tags is defined:

        32768 -- 64999 user-definable

However, on page 4.1 of HDF Specifications (for HDF version 3.1) , 
March 1989 a different range is defined: 

       Tags in the range 16,000-32,000 are user-definable. 

This means the user-definable tag range for HDF3.2 and later verions
conflicts with the tag ranges specified previously. The new library
(HDF3.2 or later versions) interprets tags in 16384 -- 32767 as HDF
special elements, based on the new Specification. If users defined
their own private tags within the range 16,000-32,000, new libraries
(HDF3.2 or later versions) will interpret those tags as HDF
special elements based on the new Specification, and unpredictable
results  may happen. 
 
We are sending this message to ask you:

1. to define private tags in the range 32768 -- 64999 if you need them 
2. to contact us if you have defined your private tags in the range 
   16000 -- 32000 in your old hdf files. We will work with you to
   convert those tags into the new range. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you.

HDF3.3r4 patch04
----------------

Patch4 contains several bugs fixes and changes. The following bugs 
have been fixed:

1. After being called too many times with non-HDF files, Hishdf failed.
2. Fortran function sfiscvar() was missing on some platforms.
3. SDwritedata sometimes wrote out the incorrect number of bytes for
   odd dimension sizes if the first dimension was UNLIMITED.
4. The file name hdf/MAKE.IRIS4 was missleading. It has been
   renamed as hdf/MAKE.IRIX.
5. Minor fixes. 

The patch files are in ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu:/HDF/HDF3.3r4/patches/
and the patched source code is in
ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu:/HDF/HDF3.3r4/patches/patchedsrc/

Release binaries for UNIX machines
----------------------------------

A bin/ subdirectory has been added in  ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu:/HDF/HDF3.3r4/ 
for executable code of HDF libraries and utilities on the following 
UNIX systems: SunOS_4.1.2, Solaris 2.3(SunOS_5.3), HPUX, AIX(no 
Fortran), OSF(no Fortran), C90, IRIX_5.3, IRIX_6.0.1_32 (32-bit mode),  
and IRIX_6.0.1(64-bit mode, hdf/ part only). Binaries for other 
platforms will be added later. 

Correction on Mac version number
--------------------------------

The hdf3.3r4p2.*.hqx files in  ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu:/HDF/HDF3.3r4/hqx/ 
directory were stuffed with wrong directory names. After being 
unstuffed, they would create directory HDF3.3r5/ which should be 
HDF3.3r4. 

To correct the mistake, the hdf3.3r4p2.*.hqx files have been replaced
by HDF3.3r4p2.*.hqx on the ftp server. 

Update on HDF User's Guide
--------------------------

The drafts of chapters RIS8, RIS24, Palette, Vdata, Vgroup, and SD
of HDF User's Guide are completed and are available on the NCSA 
ftp server. They are in 

	/HDF/Documentation/HDF3.3/Users_Guide/HDF3.3_drafts/.

Each chapter is stored in two formats:

   (1) postscript, and
   (2) mif (framemaker interchange format).

More chapters will be added to that directory as soon as they 
are completed.  We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Status of HDF new releases 
--------------------------

HDF4.0: 
   o  The multi-file annotation interface is completed. 
   o  The multi-file raster interface is currently being implemented.
   o  Data object compression with multiple compression algorithms 
       is completed.
   o  JPEG library has been separated from main HDF library source 
       and has been upgraded to use the Independent JPEG Group V5b 
       code.
   o  Support for n-bit integer data within the SDS interface is
       completed.
   o  Support for parallel I/O on the Thinking Machines' CM-5 is
       completed.
   o  Limited support for reading CDF files is completed.
      
  We plan to have a beta release ready in June. (We have dropped 
  our plan to add chunking support in HDF4.0. We now plan to add
  this in a later version.)

HDF3.3: originally we planned to have a new release by the middle of
        April. However, since HDF4.0 is very close to the beta test, 
        it seems there is no need for HDF3.3r5. We decided to not 
        do a new release for HDF3.3 so that we can concentrate 
        our efforts on HDF4.0. We will patch HDF3.3r4 as needed.
       
New contributions
-----------------

HDF3.3r4 on the Macintosh Power PC (C interfaces)
     James L. Anderson of Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
     contributed his port of HDF3.3r4 to Macintosh Power PC. His 
     contribution is in /HDF/contrib/HDF3.3r4.PPC/.

DataScope for PPC
     Tim Snider, [email-masked], ported the NCSA DataScope 
     and HDF to the Macintosh Power PC. His contribution is in 
     /HDF/contrib/DataScope.PPC/.

Absoft Fortran version of HDF3.3r4
     Robert A Managan of Lawrence-Livermore National Laboratory compiled 
     HDF3.3r4 with Absoft's MacFortran successfully. He contributed to us
     the changes he made in Makefile files and HDF programs. The 
     contribution is in /HDF/contrib/HDF3.3r4.Absoft/.

Reformat 
     Xinjian Lu, a visitor in CS department of UIUC added 
     conversion functions to the NCSA Reformat and donated
     his new version to us. Reformat now can convert HDF raster 
     images into GIF, TIFF, XWD and SunRaster formats. 
     Currently this augmentation is only in the text version. 
     The contribution is in  /HDF/contrib/NCSA/Reformat/.
            
Update on Collage and Mosaic
----------------------------

Collage HDF browser 

   Features available in the next release of Collage:  

   - After opening an HDF file, users will be able to view different data 
     sets within the file as well as the attributes associated with each 
     data set.
   - Users will be able to view attributes of data sets as they currently 
     view the data sets themselves by clicking the toggle buttons.

   There will be enhancements to Collage's visualization and collaborative 
     aspects as well.
 
Mosaic HDF browser
  
   Bug fix: Number type mistakes in displaying integer attribute values,
            thanks to Frank Chen of GSFC, NASA. 
   
   Features available in the next release of Mosaic:
 
     - for SDS, the browser will now display <name> followed by <longname> in
       parentheses.  

     - for 'old-style' SDS (DFSDxxxx SDS) the browser will now displaay 
       "Data-set-<x>" followed by <label> in parentheses.

   The binary code for HP9000, SGI and SUN SPARC for the new versions of Mosaic
   can be found on HDF anonymous ftp server, hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu or 
   141.142.21.14, in subdirectory:

	/pub/outgoing/wallace/mosaic-fix.

   New features in XMosaic2.6, in addition to the improvemnets in HDF browser
      mentioned above:

        inline JPEG images
        mailto: URL
        much improved news reading functionality
        PostScript print option includes headers (URL and page #)
        CCI POST functionality

HDF home page and fill-out forms
--------------------------------

   The HDF feedback and request fill-out forms on the HDF http home page are 
   working again. Please contact [email-masked] if you have trouble 
   sending the forms or if you don't hear back from us in a week after the 
   forms were sent to us.