Re: [Gnome-print] Universal binary file format

[Miguel de Icaza <miguel helixcode com>]

> I hope that basic display capabilities will soon be good enough, that we
> does not need to change anything in foreseeable future. And while
> introducing new capabilities, it is usually possible to have nice backdrop
> capability. That problem with current file format is, that ANY new command
> will break completely the ability of older app/lib to render it.
> 
> Just imagine something like:
> Command: set_hint
> Value: "Use envelope feeder for this page"

This is a good example of why adding chunk sizes might be a good
idea.  But I am still convinced that this can be solved trough
upgrading.  If the application fails, you need to click on the
"Upgrade" icon.

> As of standard binary file format, does anybody know cases, where Gnome
> applications need to create/parse large structured binary files:
> - which are always single-stream (no need for efs)
> - which need fast parsing/searching/skipping (no xml)
> I just downloaded iff file format spec and will study it.

I do not believe there are any applications currently that need this
functionality.

Miguel.