Content-Type: text
Content-Length: 21094
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ingrafx
Date:         Sun, 15 Nov 1992 09:36:12 +0100
From:         Thomas Oettli <oet@MAZ.SMA.CH>
Subject:      Re: animation/sound maps
              "MAPPAMUNDI@CSOVAX.PORTSMOUTH.AC.UK" at Nov 12, 92 04:55:00 pm

>
> Hello there, my name is Jonathan Carey and I am currently studying a geography
> degree at Portsmouth University. One of my options is advanced cartography and
> for this I have to do a mini-project on a chosen subject. I hope to do some-
> thing on the use of animation and/or sound in maps. I have so-far read a
 couple
> of articles on the subject: J B Krygier (1991) and Alan MacEachren and David
> DiBiase (1991). I'd be most grateful if anyone could lend a helping hand in
> anyway - further readings, anything. Thanks for listening. See ya.
>

 Try IDL, it is a very powerful Toolkit for visualization of scientific
 data. We use it at our site as our primariley Toolkit for visualize
 our meteorlogical data and even to developpe Userinterface as there
 are easy to programming Widgets included. I'm not releated to IDL or
 something like that, but after a very painful time with directly
 programming using Xlib and Xtintrinsics based X11 Toolkits we are very
 happy to find a such easy way to realize our graphical projects. So
 we distribute now on our whole Wide Area Network with 10 Sparc server
 and 180 Workstations Online Animation-Loops of Radar- and Satellite
 images. Even running animation loops will automatically reorganized and
 updated when there is a new incoming image from the Radar or Satellite
 every 10 minutes. IDL is available on different platforms included
 UNIX / VMS / DOS-Microsoft-Windows 3.1. Where to get IDL via anonymous
 ftp see included IDL-README file below.


Thomas
--
|Thomas Oettli                    Internet: Thomas.Oettli@sma.ch       |
|Swiss Meteorological Institute   CServe:   100015.3543@compuserve.com |
|Kraehbuehlstr. 58                FAX:      +41 1 256 92 78            |
|8044 Zuerich            Europe   PHONE:    +41 1 256 93 16            |
                          Last Revision: Wed Sep 30 11:44:30 MDT 1992

This document explains how to obtain IDL via the internet. It does not
discuss the VMS version, which is available via SPAN in the directory
ORION::DISKA:[IDL.V2]. ORION has the decnet address 33814.)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0) What is IDL?
1) Our Network Policy
2) Which FTP servers have IDL?
3) Form Of Distribution
4) The Files
5) Which Files Do I Need?
6) Where can I get installation instructions?
7) Where do I install IDL On My System (Updating An Existing Installation)?
8) Where do I install IDL On My System (First Installation --- System Wide)?
9) Where do I install IDL On My System (First Installation --- Single User)?
10) Sample Instructions For Getting Files Across The Internet
11) Unpacking The Distribution
12) Quick IDL Demonstration Instructions
13) Trial Demonstration Instructions
14) Running The XDemo
15) Non-Interactive Demo
16) Getting Help

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0) What is IDL?

                IDL, Interactive Data analysis Language, is a
        complete package for the interactive reduction, analysis,
        and visualization of scientific data and images.  Optimized
        for the workstation environment, IDL integrates a responsive
        array oriented language with numerous data analysis methods
        and an extensive variety of two and three dimensional
        displays into a powerful tool for researchers.
                IDL supports an extensive data import capability,
        publication quality hard copy output, and user-defined Motif
        graphical user interfaces.
                Users can create complex visualizations in hours
        instead of weeks with the aid of IDL's high level capabilities
        and interactive environment.
                IDL is useful in physics, astronomy, image and
        signal processing, mapping, medical imaging, statistics,
        and other technical disciplines requiring visualization of
        large amounts of data.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Our Network Policy

        The network distribution of IDL exists primarily for two classes
        of users:

                1) People who would like a demonstration of IDL.

                2) Existing customers under a current software support
                   agreement who wish to update their current installation
                   with the latest release.

        If you are a licensed IDL site, but you do not have a current
        software support agreement, you are still free to make use of
        this resource to update your installation. However, we ask that
        you do it in a self sufficient manner, without calling on us
        for help.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Which FTP servers have IDL?

        All of the systems listed below are used by their owners
        for other tasks. Please try to transfer the larger files during
        off hours so that these systems won't become bogged down with
        IDL traffic. This will increase the good will towards the IDL
        community and ensure that these systems remain available for this
        purpose.


        IDL is kept at the following sites:

            ----------------------
            Research Systems, Inc.
            ----------------------
                    Host:       gateway.rsinc.com (192.5.156.17)
                    Location:   Boulder, Colorado
                    Account:    ftp
                    Password:   <userid>@<localhost>
                    Directory:  pub/idl

                This system is connected to the internet via a 56KB link,
                so transfers will take longer.

            -------------------------------
            University of Colorado, Boulder
            -------------------------------
                    Host:       boulder.colorado.edu (128.138.240.1)
                    Location:   University of Colorado, Boulder Colorado
                    Account:    ftp
                    Password:   <userid>@<localhost>
                    Directory:  pub/idl

                The University of Colorado generously makes IDL
                available via their high speed internet connection.
                Please thank them by not loading it down too hard during
                working hours (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Mountain Time).

            -------------------------------
            University of Dortmund, Germany
            -------------------------------
                    Host:    lumpi.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (129.217.36.140)
                    Location:   University of Dortmund, Dortmund Germany
                    Account:    ftp
                    Password:   <userid>@<localhost>
                    Directory:  pub/idl

                European sites can obtain the distribution from this
                site. This system is also a file server for its owners,
                so the number of parallel users is restricted in order
                to maintain acceptable performance. If you are unable to
                access it due to this restriction, wait until a less busy
                time and try again.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Form Of Distribution

        Most of the files in the IDL distribution are compressed tar files.
        This means that the Unix tar(1) program was used to produce it,
        and the compress(1) program was used to reduce its size for
        transfer across the internet.

           To save space on the distribution machine and to keep
        the size of individual tar files down to a size which can
        be easily transferred, we have broken the distribution into
        different files. The machine specific instructions below
        explain which files you will need to take and how to unpack them.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) The Files

        Here is a brief description of the files kept on the FTP server:

        README - This file.
        RELEASE_LEVEL - Specifies supported operating system and hardware
                configurations.
        base.tar.Z - This file contains those files that are
                found in every IDL distribution. This includes
                things like the user library.
        bin.*.tar.Z - IDL binary files for the various supported systems.
                The "*" in this name is replaced by the name of the system
                involved (e.g. sun3, mips, sgi,...).
        bin.*.lm.tar.Z - Network floating license manager support
                for the various supported systems. There is generally
                one of these files for each of the bin.*.tar.Z files
                described above.
        convex_zcat.tar - Not all Convex systems have the Unix
                compress/uncompress/zcat programs. This file is
                a replacement for zcat, sufficient for unpacking the
                IDL distribution.
        images.tar.Z - Data files used by the demo programs. These files
                could logically go in base.tar.Z, but they are separate
                because the files are rather large, and since they
                rarely change, people who are updating an existing
                distribution can use the images subdirectory from
                their existing distribution. This speeds things up
                and eliminates the transfer of unneeded data
                across the internet.
        unpack_idl - A Bourne shell script (/bin/sh) that unpacks
                each compressed tar file.
        user_contrib.tar.Z - User contributed software. We distribute
                this directory, but on a strictly as is basis. RSI
                does not support this software and accepts no
                responsibility for it.
        xdemo.tar.Z - Files used by the widget demo. IDLwidgets are a
                new facility that allow the IDL programmer to create
                graphical user interfaces from IDL.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Which Files Do I Need?


        You don't need all the files contained on the FTP server unless
        you support every possible IDL configuration. It is important
        not to copy unneeded files since this wastes:

                1) Your time and disk space.
                2) Internet bandwidth.
                3) FTP server bandwidth.

        To decide which files to take, follow the following steps:
                [] Some files are always needed:

                        base.tar.Z
                        unpack_idl
                        images.tar.Z (If you have an existing distribution,
                                you can take its images subdirectory
                                instead of copying this file).
                        user_contrib.tar.Z (If you want the non-RSI
                                supported software contributed by users.
                                This is not required)
                        xdemo.tar.Z (If you want to run the widget demo.
                                IDLwidgets is a facility that allow the IDL
                                programmer to create graphical user
                                interfaces from IDL.)
                [] If you will be unpacking the distribution on a
                   Convex system you will need to take convex_zcat.
                [] Read the file RELEASE_LEVEL and determine which
                   versions of IDL you want.
                [] For each desired version of IDL, take the corresponding
                   bin.*.tar.Z file. For example, SGI users should take
                   bin.sgi.tar.Z.
                [] If you are using the Network Floating License Manager
                   for the machines you selected above, you should take
                   the corresponding bin.*.lm.tar.Z files. For example,
                   the SGI example above would require bin.sgi.lm.tar.Z.

                   You will need these files only if you are currently
                   using floating licenses. NOTE: Trial copies of IDL do
                   not require these files.

                   If a bin.*.lm.tar.Z does not exist for a given system,
                   it means that the network license manager is not
                   supported for that system.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) Where can I get installation instructions?

        We send purchasers of IDL printed installation instructions.
        The LaTeX files for these instructions can be found in the
        "misc" subdirectory of the IDL distribution once you've
        unpacked the tar files. The only difference in the
        installation procedure for those who obtain IDL across
        the internet is in how the distribution is obtained and
        unpacked.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) Where do I install IDL On My System (Updating An Existing Installation)?

        If you are updating an existing installation, you have
        already dealt with the problem of deciding where to
        install the IDL distribution. To update your distribution
        you will need to move the old one out of the way. Assuming
        you used our recommended default of /usr/local/lib/idl,
        the following Unix commands should suffice. You should
        be logged in as root when you execute these commands:

                % cd /usr/local/lib
                % mv idl idl.old
                % mkdir idl


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) Where do I install IDL On My System (First Installation --- System Wide)?

        If you are installing a trial version, simply create
        a directory for IDL where you place user accounts on your
        system. This is "/home" for SunOS, "/users" for Ultrix, etc...

        The name of the directory should be "idl". For example,
        assume that you usually put user directories in /home.
        The following Unix commands should suffice. You should
        be logged in as root when you execute these commands:

                % cd /home
                % mkdir idl


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9) Where do I install IDL On My System (First Installation --- Single User)?
        If you are installing a trial version for your personal
        use, simply place the directory somewhere in your directory
        tree such as your login directory. Assuming you
        use your login directory, the following command should suffice:

                % cd $HOME
                % mkdir idl


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10) Sample Instructions For Getting Files Across The Internet

        The required files can be recovered via ftp over the Internet
        as follows:

        [] Decide which ftp server to use. These are listed elsewhere
           in this document. We'll use boulder.colorado.edu for our example.
        [] Decide which files you need. Instructions for this are also
           given elsewhere in this document.
        [] Use ftp to connect with the FTP server you selected. For
           example:

                % ftp boulder.colorado.edu

           If your system is not running a proper nameserver, try the
           numeric version of the address:

                % ftp 128.138.240.1

        [] Log onto the server:

                account: ftp
                password: username@system

        [] Move to the IDL directory:

                ftp> cd pub/idl

        [] Put ftp into "binary" mode.

                ftp> binary

        [] Use the ftp "get" command to retrieve the desired file(s)

        [] Exit the ftp session using the "bye" command.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11) Unpacking The Distribution:

        [] Get the files needed for your system via FTP, using the
           instructions found elsewhere in this document. Place them
           into the directory on your system where the IDL distribution
           will reside. Move your current default directory there.
           Depending on the location you've picked, you may need to be
           logged on as root as you execute these instructions:

        [] Unpack the tar files.

                % ./unpack_idl

        [] If you intend to re-use the images subdirectory,
           from your old distribution, use the Unix mv(1) command
           to move it from your old distribution:

                % mv OLD_DIR/images .

           where "OLD_DIR" is the path to the old distribution
           on your system.

        [] If you are updating an old distribution, move your
           existing validation files to the new location. For standard
           installations:

                % mv OLD_DIR/idl.hosts .
                % mv OLD_DIR/idl.genver .

           For network license manager installations:

                % mv OLD_DIR/license.dat .

           If you are installing a new trial version, call us
           for validation instructions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12) Quick IDL Demonstration Instructions

        You can run IDL without calling RSI for a trial version.  In this
        case, IDL automatically runs in a Quick Demo Mode.  It will run
        for seven minutes at a time and can be re-run as often as needed.
        The Quick Demo Mode doesn't allow writing of files and is intended
        only for demonstration of IDL.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13) Trial Demonstration Instructions

        Trial mode validation gives you full use of IDL for a fixed
        amount of time. To validate IDL for a trial period, first obtain
        and unpack the distribution following the instructions given in
        this document and make sure the Quick Demo Mode works. You will
        then need to call Research Systems, Inc. (303-786-9900) while
        running the genver program as described below:

            Command                     Explanation
         --------------------------------------------------------------

            % cd /u/tom/idl             Move into the IDL directory.

            % bin/genver                Run the validation program.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14) Running The XDemo

        The XDemo requires X-windows (Openlook on Suns) and it illustrates
        the type of applications that can be written with IDLWidgets.  These
        instructions assume you have already obtained and built the
        distribution for version 2.1.0 or greater on your system.  To run
        the demo, type the following:

            Command                     Explanation
         --------------------------------------------------------------

            % cd /u/tom/idl     Change directories to the main IDL
                                directory.  (Here we assume you have
                                chosen "/u/tom/idl" as your main
                                directory.)

            % ./idl_demo        Run IDL demo version.

            IDL> xdemo          Start the demo.


        This demo must be run while using X-windows.  Once the demo is
        running, you should see an IDL logo with buttons above it.  Choose
        examples from the Examples menu with the mouse.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15) Non-Interactive Demo

        Another IDL demonstration program illustrates some of the many ways
        that IDL can help to visualize data.  In this non-interactive demo,
        the IDL commands that generate the examples are shown.  Move the
        window you are using to the lower left of the screen so that it is not
        obscured by the demo.  Run this demo by typing the following:

        Command                 Explanation
     ------------------------------------------------------------------

        % cd /u/tom/idl         Move into the IDL directory.

        % ./idl_demo            Run IDL demo version.

        IDL> .run demo          Start the other demo.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16) Getting Help:

        Research Systems, Inc.
        777 29th Street, Suite 300
        Boulder, CO 80303
        (303) 786-9900      (Voice)
        (303) 786-9909      (Fax)

        Email:
            info@rsinc.com or support@rsinc.com         # Internet
            ORION::IDL                                  # SPAN
            IDL@COLOLASP                                # Bitnet
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU