It would be /* really nice */ to have a little more image
file format capability natively.  Specifically, the ability
to save files in the supported formats (currently gif and jpeg).

Because of the limitations and proprietary  customer  of gif and jpeg
formats it would be nice to have a non-proprietary lossless 
format available.  Allow me to suggest PNG.  After all, it's even
been accepted by the www consortium as an image format.

======================================================================

[Another user]


I would like to be able to load PNG images as
a java.awt.Image just as I currently can load
GIFs.  PNG is better than GIF, plus it's free.
Please add PNG support to AWT.

The PNG home page is at http://www.wco.com/~png/

  xxxxx@xxxxx   1997-10-08

N/A

The user can use the jpeg classes to save images in jpeg (com.sun.image.codec.jpeg).  The display of PNG files will be supported in
the next JDK release  so I am closing this bug as a duplicate of one 
asking for a generalize image file I/O package, which would allow PNG
and other image files to be written.

  xxxxx@xxxxx   1999-05-10

Lack of image export capability is a GLARING omission.
And the third party workarounds are way too slow
because they are doing the encoding in Java.  Image
encoding needs to be in the Java engine, preferably
in assembly for reasonable performance.
Sun, wakeup, support PNG (or Gif if there is a way
around the legal problems) encodeing and decoding 
directly in the Java engine.

See bug number: 4101708

I think that reading and writing JPEG,
GIF, PNG, TIFF, PICT, BMP, and other 
image files should be a standard part 
of Java.  
[PNG is a royalty-free replacement 
for GIF: see 
http://www.cdrom.com/pub/png/ ]
From what I understand, a company 
called Activated Intelligence 
(http://www.activated.com) (with 
which I have no affiliation) has 
created a product called JIMI (the 
Java Image Management Interface) 
which does this.  They have offered 
to license part of JIMI (write JPEG,
write GIF, read PNG, and write PNG)
for free to Sun. Sun almost licensed
it, but hasn't yet.  Instead, they 
may include just a JPEG writer from
Kodak instead.  
I want Java to read and write 
additional file formats.  If you do,
too, please:
1) Read Sun's comments about the 
JPEG encoder at 
http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/2D/.
2) Email Sun (java2d-comments@sun.com)
to encourage them to add read/write 
capabilities for JPEG, GIF, PNG, 
TIFF, PICT, BMP, and other image 
files.  And ask them to once again
consider licensing JIMI from Activated
Intelligence.  These are the people
who actually decide what gets in 
Java.
3) Also vote for bugs 
4101708 (for PNG support), and
4029964 (for TIFF support).
4) Join the Sun's "java2d-interest" 
mailing list immediately and make 
your wishes known.  Important 
decisions about what to support in 
the JDK1.2 release of Java2D are 
being actively discussed right now. 
Instructions for joining the list 
are at:
http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/
2D/forDevelopers/interest_group.html
5) Email Activated at 
"support@activated.com" to express
your support for their efforts.
6) Pass this email message to 
friends. The more people that act,
the better.

Reading, writing and manipulating JPEG,
GIF, PNG, TIFF, PICT, BMP, and other 
image files should be a standard part 
of Java in my opinion.