[web-team] feedback from SVLUG website: PNG fixes

[greg.roelofs at philips.com]

The Netscape 4.x PNG problem ("may have difficulty rendering this") on
your maps page (http://www.svlug.org/directions/cisco-9.shtml) is well-
known and has been documented for some time:

     http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/pngapbr.html#nn

The fix is to remove the bKGD chunks from your (opaque) PNG images, or
not to add them in the first place.  The simplest way to do the former
is with pngcrush, for which there's a link here:

     http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/pngapcv.html

For example:

    pngcrush -d tmpdir -rem bkgd north-sj.png cisco-9-lrt-path-2001.png
    mv tmpdir/*.png .

Before:

    File: svlug.org-north-sj.png (25161 bytes)
      chunk IHDR at offset 0x0000c, length 13
        390 x 245 image, 24-bit RGB, non-interlaced
      chunk gAMA at offset 0x00025, length 4: 0.45455
      chunk bKGD at offset 0x00035, length 6: red = 255 green = 255 blue = 255
      chunk pHYs at offset 0x00047, length 9: 2834x2834 pixels/meter (72 dpi)
      chunk tIME at offset 0x0005c, length 7:  1 Jun 2001 17:23:29 GMT
      chunk IDAT at offset 0x0006f, length 8192
        zlib:  deflated, 32K window, maximum compression
      chunk IDAT at offset 0x0207b, length 8192
      chunk IDAT at offset 0x04087, length 8192
      chunk IDAT at offset 0x06093, length 418
      chunk IEND at offset 0x06241, length 0
    No errors detected in svlug.org-north-sj.png (91.2% compression).

After:

    File: svlug.org-north-sj-cr.png (17422 bytes)
      chunk IHDR at offset 0x0000c, length 13
        390 x 245 image, 24-bit RGB, non-interlaced
      chunk gAMA at offset 0x00025, length 4: 0.45455
      chunk tIME at offset 0x00035, length 7:  1 Jun 2001 17:23:29 GMT
      chunk pHYs at offset 0x00048, length 9: 2834x2834 pixels/meter (72 dpi)
      chunk IDAT at offset 0x0005d, length 17309
        zlib:  deflated, 32K window, maximum compression
      chunk IEND at offset 0x04406, length 0
    No errors detected in svlug.org-north-sj-cr.png (93.9% compression).

You'll note that this also reduces their sizes by about 25-30%.  Of course,
converting them to palette mode makes them smaller still, although it re-
quires other tools (e.g., XV or pngtopnm/pnmtopng).  And you can shave off
a little more also by using additional pngcrush -rem options to nuke the
pHYs and tIME chunks, which are not especially necessary:

    File: svlug.org-north-sj-8-cr.png (14394 bytes)
      chunk IHDR at offset 0x0000c, length 13
        390 x 245 image, 8-bit colormap, non-interlaced
      chunk gAMA at offset 0x00025, length 4: 0.45455
      chunk PLTE at offset 0x00035, length 96: 32 palette entries
      chunk IDAT at offset 0x000a1, length 14213
        zlib:  deflated, 32K window, maximum compression
      chunk IEND at offset 0x03832, length 0
    No errors detected in svlug.org-north-sj-8-cr.png (84.9% compression).

For your convenience, I'll send the fixed, 8-bit images in my next two
messages.  (I'd append them to this one, but my ancient, cheesy-but-fully-
virus-proof mailer doesn't do MIME.  Sorry.)

Btw, if you have comments or questions, please respond to my other account
(newt at pobox.com).  Many thanks.

Regards,
--
Greg Roelofs           newt at pobox.com           http://pobox.com/~newt/
Newtware, PNG Group, Info-ZIP, Philips Semiconductors, ...