2001-05-11

Here are some ideas under discussion for the next major revision of
the SANE API:

 o Additional image data types, such as JPEG, MPEG, FlashPix, raw.
   These would be useful for devices that directly generate such
   formats (still cameras, for example).  The raw image format could
   be used when no other format is applicable.  This would allow to
   at least read and save the data in a file.  This would probably
   have to be coupled with adding a function that lets a frontend
   tell the backend what level it supports, something like
   sane_set_level (int max_supported_level).
   [Based on suggestion by Andreas Beck <becka@charon.rz.beck-sw.de>]

 o Support for other multimedia types, such as audio.  This probably
   would also require adding a write() interface to the SANE API.
   [Suggested by Erik Troan <ewt@redhat.com>.]

 o add support for buttons etc. on the scanner/camera

 o add support for sending messages from the backend to the frontend
   (e.g. for warm up time)

 o Change of the version number system (the current standard version
   system is not really used in the SANE distribution).

 o add more frame types

 o add alpha channel so that RGBI scanners like Nikon LS-20 can
   send infra-red info back to gimp for post-processing

 o Might be nice if arbitrarily defined multiple channels, were possible.
   Some way of indicating the number of channels possible, and some
   details (wavelength, bandwidth, ...)

 o Don't call any other SANE function if sane_init() fails
   (status != SANE_STATUS_GOOD)


see sane-devel archive for more ideas