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



NAME
       pnm - Netpbm superformat


DESCRIPTION
       The PNM format is just an abstraction of the PBM, PGM, and PPM formats.
       I.e. the name 'PNM' refers collectively to PBM, PGM, and PPM.

       The name 'PNM' is an acronym derived  from  'Portable  Any  Map.'  This
       derivation  makes  more	sense if you consider it in the context of the
       other Netpbm format names: PBM, PGM, and PPM.

       The more general term 'Netpbm format' refers to the  PNM	 formats  plus
       PAM.

       PNM is principally used with Netpbm(1).

       Note  that  besides  being names of formats, PBM, PGM, PPM, and PNM are
       also classes of programs.  A PNM program can  take  PBM,	 PGM,  or  PPM
       input.	That's	nothing	 special  -- a PPM program can too.  But a PNM
       program can often produce multiple output formats as well,  and	a  PNM
       program	can  see  the  difference  between PBM, PGM, and PPM input and
       respond to each differently whereas a PPM program sees everything as if
       it  were	 PPM.  This is discussed more in the description of the netpbm
       programs (1).

       'pnm' also appears in the names of the most  general  Netpbmlibraryrou-
       tines(1),someofwhicharen'teven related to the PNM format.


SEE ALSO
       ppm(1), pgm(1), pbm(1), pam(1), programsthatprocessPNM(1), libnetpbm(1)



netpbm documentation		03 October 2003		     The PNM Format(5)