HDF Newsletter #14

This draft was last updated: May 5, 1994


Contents

  1. HDF 4.0: Status and Plans
  2. HDF4.0 Alpha release
  3. Important change in the names of the FORTRAN include files
  4. New URL for the HDF information server
  5. New contributions
  6. Update on NCSA tools
  7. Thanks and good luck, Chris!

HDF 4.0: Status and Plans

The HDF group has been working for some time on a next version of HDF, which we are calling HDF 4.0. The defining characteristic of HDF 4.0 will be that it supports multi-file and multi-object access to all major HDF objects. The full list of features we have planned for HDF 4.0 includes the following:

  1. Interfaces that support multi-file/multi-object access for raster images and annotations, similar to the current SDS interface.
  2. Support for n-bit integer data within the SDS interface.
  3. Support for parallel I/O on the Thinking Machines' CM-5.
  4. Limited support for reading CDF files.
  5. Support for compression for SDSs.
  6. Support for chunked storage of SDSs.

As the next article indicates, we now have an alpha version of HDF 4.0, which includes some of the items on the list. Our original plans were to have a full beta version of HDF 4.0 ready by mid-summer. However, with the loss of Chris Houck (see final article), the release will almost certainly be delayed. We are considering postponing one or more of the above features (probably the chunked storage, maybe the annotations) in order to speed up the release, but have not decided yet for sure. We welcome your thoughts about these features.


HDF4.0 Alpha release

HDF Version 4.0 is ready for enthusiastic HDF users to run an alpha test now. The new version supports n-bit number types, a parallel I/O HDF interface for CM5, and reads CDF files. Please read ABOUT_4.0.alpha for more details.


Important change in the names of the FORTRAN include files

HDF FORTRAN users, please notice that the constant.i has been renamed as hdf.inc and dffunct.i as dffunct.inc. If your existing programs include those *.i files , you need to change them correspondently before you compile them with HDF4.0. The ABOUT_4.0.alpha explains why the names were changed.

New URL for the HDF information server

An HDF information server is set up. Its URL is:

http://hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu:8001/. The server has the Online Hypertext Version of the HDF Reference Manual. There is a fill-out form in the home page for users to submit questions to the HDF team.

New contributions

HDF and XDS extensions to support blocked SDS. Hugo Patterson, graduate research fellow of Carnegie Mellon University contributed the extensions made to HDF3.2r3 and XDS2.2 to support read/ write/display of blocked scientific data sets. The contribution is in HDF/contrib/HDF3.2r3.Blocked_SDS/ on the NCSA ftp server. Read the README file in that directory for more information.


Update on NCSA tools

Collage release 1.3 for X Window System.

New features in 1.3:

Distribution:

The software is available through anonymous ftp for both binaries and source code. ftp ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu (141.142.20.50) and answer anonymous to the Name question. Than cd /UNIX/XCollage/Collage1.3, get DOCS, quit ftp, read DOCS and download the binaries that you need.


Thanks and good luck, Chris Houck!

Chris Houck is leaving NCSA and the HDF group to pursue opportunities in the commercial world.

Chris has been a joy to work with and a tremendous asset to the HDF project during the two and a half years that he has been with us. He was responsible for the enormous task of merging the netCDF interface into HDF, for rewriting the SDS interface to make it completely compatible with the netCDF and CDF data models, and for making a countless improvements and fixes to practically all parts of the HDF code. Chris has continuously contributed important insights and opinions about how to approach HDF-related problems and issues. In addition to all this, Chris has consistently and cheerfully provided support to the growing population of HDF users.

Chris, obviously we will really miss you, we are enormously grateful for your contributions to HDF, and we wish you all the best.