1The PNM Format(5)             File Formats Manual            The PNM Format(5)
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NAME

6       pnm - Netpbm superformat
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DESCRIPTION

10       The PNM format is just an abstraction of the PBM, PGM, and PPM formats.
11       I.e. the name 'PNM' refers collectively to PBM, PGM, and PPM.
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13       The name 'PNM' is an acronym derived  from  'Portable  Any  Map.'  This
14       derivation  makes  more  sense if you consider it in the context of the
15       other Netpbm format names: PBM, PGM, and PPM.
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17       The more general term 'Netpbm format' refers to the  PNM  formats  plus
18       PAM.
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20       PNM is principally used with Netpbm(1).
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22       Note  that  besides  being names of formats, PBM, PGM, PPM, and PNM are
23       also classes of programs.  A PNM program can  take  PBM,  PGM,  or  PPM
24       input.   That's  nothing  special  -- a PPM program can too.  But a PNM
25       program can often produce multiple output formats as well,  and  a  PNM
26       program  can  see  the  difference  between PBM, PGM, and PPM input and
27       respond to each differently whereas a PPM program sees everything as if
28       it  were  PPM.  This is discussed more in the description of the netpbm
29       programs (1).
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31       'pnm' also appears in the names of the most  general  Netpbmlibraryrou‐
32       tines(1),someofwhicharen'teven related to the PNM format.
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SEE ALSO

36       ppm(1), pgm(1), pbm(1), pam(1), programsthatprocessPNM(1), libnetpbm(1)
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40netpbm documentation            03 October 2003              The PNM Format(5)
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