Linux Users:

     I just found this news group and wanted to let you in on the status
of the Linux release of POV 3.1.  About the time that the initial
version 3.1 releases appeared, I started using linux in a partition on my
PC.  I talked about it some in the Compuserve POVRAY forum and since
Chris Young is familiar with my use of POV-Ray over the past few years,
he asked me if I would like to be the Linux support team member.  I said
yes without realizing how much effort would be required to get up to speed
with Linux while at the same time working full time and carrying a
Graduate Engineering course.  I still intend to get an official Linux
version out as soon as possible, and now have the time to work on it, or
rather work on learning enough Linux to create the port.  My intention
is to make the initial release of POVLinux version 3.1 be a
straightforward adaptation from the version 3.02 release.  I suspect that
this should not take very long to do, but I don't want to mess it up due
to inexperience with Linux.  I noticed that Mark Gordon has released an
unofficial version, and have looked at his web site.  I am impressed
with the effort he took to follow the rules for an unofficial release,
and am going to look at his version and intend to stay as compatible as
possible with it while developing the official release.

     Also, I have been reading your comments and will definitely keep them
in mind during my effort.  I have no intention of developing an editor for
POVLinux since as you have said each unix user has his own favorite.  I
noticed someone mentioned nedit which is my favorite as well.

     Now that I have found this haven for POV enthusiasts on the internet,
I intend to keep in touch, but will likely be infrequent until the
official release in ready for you to look at.


Axel Hecht wrote:

> Hi there,
> I'd like to bring up the discussion about the unix-version for 3.1
> again.
> I have the feeling, that the povray-team is quite satisfied with the
> existing unofficial versions of 3.1, as there are no statements
> whatsoever as to when they would release something. They must have been
> in a quite final state a while ago (talking about months), as the issued
> the request for Solaris-maintainers, to which i weakly volunteered and
> got no reply.
> I really see only two reasons for the current timeframe:
> 1) Holydays. A really good one, I agree, but ...
> 2) Porting Delphi, just to bring the editor to the unix folks :-)
>
> Anyway, I would propose putting one unofficial version in some kind of
> 'state of confidence', just to give all the patchers something to work
> on. In my understanding, users as well as programmers are eagerly
> waiting on a 'accepted' version, one version that is known throughout
> the community. That would not necessarily be an official one.
>
> Axel

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