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Is PMMail still being maintained?

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David Graser:
Is PMMail still be developed?  If so, can someone tell me what size bitmaps are built into the mailer?  I may take a stab at updating the bitmaps if I can find time.  No promises, but if it is still being maintained, it would be worth while to try to update the graphics.

David

Matt Walsh:
Yes, & *.ico files are ~3400 bits.
Matt W

Doug Bissett:

--- Quote ---Is PMMail still be developed?
--- End quote ---

The answer is yes, and no. Currently, there is no developer working on it. I, and a few others, tweak it sometimes, when we can, but I am not a programmer, so I can't do much with it.


--- Quote ---No promises, but if it is still being maintained, it would be worth while to try to update the graphics.
--- End quote ---

The icons were tweaked years ago, and that turned into a bit of a marathon, to try to get them to actually work properly. The original icons, in PMMail before 3.x, were not standard OS/2 icons, and a lot of the code needed to be updated to handle normal icons. Most icons were created from the non standard ones, so they didn't change much. At least they are now proper OS/2 icons.

There is a section in the help, about customizing icons. I suggest that you start there. If you have some success, open an incident in the bug tracker, and I will see if I can get it done. The icons seem to be something that I should be able to work with.

David Graser:

--- Quote from: Doug Bissett on January 11, 2018, 06:43:56 pm ---
--- Quote ---Is PMMail still be developed?
--- End quote ---

The answer is yes, and no. Currently, there is no developer working on it. I, and a few others, tweak it sometimes, when we can, but I am not a programmer, so I can't do much with it.


--- Quote ---No promises, but if it is still being maintained, it would be worth while to try to update the graphics.
--- End quote ---

The icons were tweaked years ago, and that turned into a bit of a marathon, to try to get them to actually work properly. The original icons, in PMMail before 3.x, were not standard OS/2 icons, and a lot of the code needed to be updated to handle normal icons. Most icons were created from the non standard ones, so they didn't change much. At least they are now proper OS/2 icons.

--- End quote ---

I am thinking the original icons were bitmaps.  I know FM/2, Filestar2, and Dr. Dialog use bitmaps for their display icons.  The advantage is you make just one size, usually 32x32.  I have the old  PMMail listing and it was done in bitmap.

OS/2 ico aren't the greatest due to the way all OS2 versions handle them. Any light color on the edge is treated as white.  This looks bad unless one goes in and deletes or darkens the colors.  This is why a lot of the OS/2 icons have a blocked chunky edge. It also requires that each icon have several sizes.  You can have one size, but then one relies on WPS to render the icons in the size needed, which a lot of the time is not great.

That said, I did my first icon, although, not great, is far better than the one used now.  I have attached so I can see it better on a larger screen.

I have managed to improve on this original one.  There are a few tricks I have learned after doing them over the years.

ak120:

--- Quote from: David Graser on January 12, 2018, 02:31:07 am ---I am thinking the original icons were bitmaps.
--- End quote ---
All icons are bitmaps or arrays of bitmaps.


--- Quote ---I know FM/2, Filestar2, and Dr. Dialog use bitmaps for their display icons.  The advantage is you make just one size, usually 32x32.  I have the old  PMMail listing and it was done in bitmap.
--- End quote ---
You're talking about image files for the button bar?


--- Quote ---OS/2 ico aren't the greatest due to the way all OS2 versions handle them. Any light color on the edge is treated as white.  This looks bad unless one goes in and deletes or darkens the colors.
--- End quote ---
So the Windows ICO files look better under OS/2? An average graphics designer should know how to use colours properly.


--- Quote ---This is why a lot of the OS/2 icons have a blocked chunky edge. It also requires that each icon have several sizes.
--- End quote ---
Absolutely wrong.


--- Quote ---You can have one size, but then one relies on WPS to render the icons in the size needed, which a lot of the time is not great.
--- End quote ---
In fact it doesn't rely on Workplace Shell at all. Icons are rendered by the Presentation device driver. Perhaps you're simply using a sloppy display driver. Before spreading such claims it would be advisable to check against different different output devices or configurations.

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