Internet File Formats: Your Complete Resource for Sending, Receiving, and Using Internet Files

Rating:
Summary: A valuable reference for the many internet file formats.
Review:

The Internet is a virtual bazaar of file formats, some rare andexotic species sharing space with the commonly known ones. Apart from curiosity about the unusual, users sometimes find themselves confronted with incoming files of some unknown type, or being required to generate files in a particular format. Graphics, video, sound, and other related file formats especially require some kind of reference to assist in finding the right tools for creation, conversion, or viewing/playing.

File format literature is limited and, because of the limited market, those books that are published do not seem to be candidates for new editions. We have to be thankful to Coriolis for Internet File Formats, even though there have been some changes since its publication in 1995. However, the author includes plenty of information about Internet sites where the latest information is likely to be found.

Professional application developers and programmers should find it a useful reference, especially for tracking down detailed technical information, but the book's real audience is users: those engaged in the graphics arts, or who are involved in activities such as constructing a Web site with state-of-the-art applications, and those who find themselves confronted with strange file formats.

The book covers UNIX, Mac, DOS, and Windows platforms and is accompanied by a hybrid CD with software and documentation.

A chapter in the introductory section, Researching File Formats, discusses the problem of determining the format of a given file and lists URLs and ftp sites where information is to be found. The chapter is brief, but covers the topic well.

The main part of the book is divided into six parts: Text and document formats, Graphics formats, Compression and archiving formats, Encoding formats, Sound formats, Movie formats

The Text & Document Format part opens with a chapter on the nature of text, discussing the problems of character set variation and the use of markup languages. That is followed by chapters on HTML, TeX and LaTeX, SGML, TROFF (and other ROFF variants), PostScript, Acrobat, and formats used by word processors (such as RTF). Some of the discussions include useful manual-style information (about TROFF in particular), and all deal with how each one works, its strengths and weaknesses, and alternatives. The information is not designed to be definitive, but to provide a description in sufficient depth for an understanding of each format and its suitability for various applications.

The Graphics part opens with a general discussion on colour and resolution, kinds of colours, kinds of images, and compression. It is useful background for those without any previous technical knowledge of digital images. A brief, but interesting, chapter deals with ASCII graphics (an almost lost art). Then follow chapters on GIF, PNG, TIFF, JPEG, VRML, and other formats (XBM, BMP, PICT, IFF, and PBM/PGM/PPM/PNM. The main formats are discussed in terms of when-to-use, how-to-use, strengths-and-weakness, brief technical descriptions, and legal issues. The reader is told how to recognise the formats, how they work, what information is in the headers, and where to find further information.

The description of PBM/PGM/PPM/PNM utilities, used for conversion from one format to another, are sufficient for a general understanding.

Compression and Archiving includes a brief history and warnings about exaggerated claims for compression utilities. I don't agree with the author's comments on encryption or his advice on data security, but the real issue is compression and the overview of that is well done. Chapters cover TAR, Compress, ARC, ZIP, GZIP, SHAR, ZOO, StuffIt, and "other formats" (SEA, LHA, ARJ, RAR, etc.). Some of the programs grouped under "other formats" are - in my opinion - superior to many that the book treats as mainstream. Of the mainstream group, each is discussed in reasonable depth and there are observations about drawbacks of using some compression programs.

Encoding Formats covers those programs (such as UUENCODE) used for moving binary data over e-mail channels. The discussion is useful in enabling readers to make an informed choice of the format best suited to particular purposes. The author explains how they work, gives a timely warning about security issues (the transfer of scripts that automatically execute can be dangerous), and explains how to use each. A useful resource.

Sound Formats includes a chapter on sound that describes various technical aspects; brief, but a surprisingly comprehensive introduction. The AU, WAVE, MIDI, and other formats are described; information is not as extensive as that provided in other parts of the book, but Internet sources for further data are included.

Video formats (AVI, QUICKTIME, and MPEG video) are covered in the last part of the book. The discussion deals with how they work and the importance of compression.

The companion CD contains a selection of tools and documentation for UNIX, Mac, Windows, and DOS. They include editing software, compression/decompression utilities, viewing software, and player programs.

The files are generally pre-1995 and many are likely to have been re-issued in new versions. However, they are generally accompanied with information about Internet sites where latest versions can be found.

The book is a useful resource and deserves a place in libraries. It is not a definitive description of every file format one might encounter on the Internet; what it does very well is to bring a considerable amount of technical information about file formats and their respective uses into the one place. The book should enable users to make informed assessments of what is best for particular purposes.

Reviewed by Major Keary

Rating:
Summary: One of the best computer references I own.
Review: This book has a basic section on a number of different file formats and how to code in a few different languages and scripts. Includes a CD-ROM with conversion utilities and editing software.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best computer references I own.
Review: This book has a basic section on a number of different file formats and how to code in a few different languages and scripts. Includes a CD-ROM with conversion utilities and editing software.