IconChomper

1.0 Alpha 1, released 08/08/99

About IconChomper | Release Notes | License | Feedback | Copyright

About IconChomper

IconChomper chomps Windows icons into supported BeOS formats. Windows icons come in a number of different flavors; IconChomper currently likes to chomp ICO and ICL files, as well as icons out of EXE and DLL files. (IconChomper doesn't touch any other information in these files; Windows executable code makes IconChomper sick.)

IconChomper is a new Chomper (and the only Chomper identified by scientists to date). Because of this, IconChomper is irritable and not totally dependable, much like most higher life forms in their adolescent stages. You may find IconChomper occasionally burping, gurgling, slobbering, or outright quitting on you when you least expect it. Researchers are working this very moment to further refine and control IconChomper; stay tuned for further developments.

Name:	IconChomper
Scientific Classification:	chompus iconus
Habitat:	state-of-the-art operating systems
Diet:	icons from worn-down operating systems, an occasional blueberry muffin
Distinguishing Features:	primate-like hands and feet, yet no discernable skeleton or backbone; two-dimensional; frequently changing odor

Basic usage of IconChomper is as follows:

Run IconChomper
Open an icon file
Click on different Icon Groups to see the icons in them
drag an icon you like to the Tracker with the left mouse button; or right-click, drag, and hold the Ctrl key when releasing to choose from a list of supported file formats

Release Notes

As of this release, IconChomper isn't totally feature-complete; I have a couple of other things to incorporate until I call it good for v1.0. If you have a feature you would like to see in IconChomper, contact me (see Feedback below).

Also, this release is an alpha release, so be aware of the Known Bugs below. I normally wouldn't release a beast as wild as IconChomper is until it was a little more tame. Some daring people, however, have eagerly requested an IconChomper for their very own, so here it is.

Version 1.0 Alpha 1 (08/08/99)

Features

Reads icons from ICO files
Reads icons from icon resources out of Windows binary format files (EXE, DLL, ICL, etc)
Supports Drag & Drop
Uses the Translation Kit to save icons
Silly Chomper Metaphor

Known Bugs

IconChomper sometimes gets lost when looking through lots of icons; you may notice after a certain point in an ICL that the icons show up as 0 height, 0 width, etc.. this is IconChomper chomping off more than it can chew.
IconChomper currently does not support 24 bit color icons. Most icons are 8 bit, but you may come across some icons that don't show up in IconChomper... this is probably why.
IconChomper doesn't have the greatest in error handling; if IconChomper encounters a problem you may encounter a nasty error from IconChomper. At this time, just restart IconChomper and avoid the file that made IconChomper sick. IconChomper does not modify your Windows files, so don't worry if IconChomper crashes in the middle of a file operation.
IconChomper is a memory slob and does not clean up properly after itself all the time. Don't use IconChomper for super-long extended periods of time.. it will chomp your memory too. (IconChomper doesn't use a whole lot of memory to perform the icon conversions, but it theoretically could add up over time... just don't push it right now.)

Things That Suck

As far as I can tell, the FileTypes application doesn't follow the new convention for Drag & Drop; because of this you can't drag an icon from IconChomper into FileTypes. I will check into this further, because this really does suck. (This is how I originally intended IconChomper to work... grr) For the time being, the best way to get icons into FileTypes is to drag the converted icon file into Icon-O-Matic. You can get to Icon-O-Matic from FileTypes by double-clicking on the icon box in FileTypes.
Saved files don't have transparency properly set yet. IconChomper does handle transparency properly with Windows icons, but when they are saved the alpha information doesn't stick. Currently, transparent pixels are saved as white.

License

IconChomper is Freeware. You are free to use and redistribute this software at no charge. If you redistribute this software, include this documentation, unmodified, that came with it originally.

As usual with Freeware, the author does not take any responsibility for any damage caused by using this program. If you erase your hard disk, spill coffee into your lap and burn yourself, etc., don't blame me.

Feedback

IconChomper will soon have a home on the Web; however, before he does we have to ensure public safety and perform some final tests to make sure IconChomper doesn't run wild and chomp the whole Internet. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, feedback regarding IconChomper can be directed to yoda@bemail.org.