atktopbm

Convert a Andrew Toolkit raster object to a PBM image

$ atktopbm [path/to/image.atk] > [path/to/output.pbm]

atktopbm input_atk_file > output_pbm_file
(Reads from stdin, writes to stdout)

atktopbm is a specialized command-line utility from the Netpbm suite. Its primary function is to convert image files stored in the Andrew Toolkit (ATK) raster format into the Portable BitMap (PBM) format.

The ATK raster format is an older, less common image format primarily associated with the Andrew Project, developed at Carnegie Mellon University. PBM is a simple, plaintext format for black and white images, part of the Netpbm family of image formats (PBM, PGM, PPM).

atktopbm acts as a crucial bridge for users needing to process or view these legacy ATK images using modern image processing tools that typically support Netpbm formats. It is designed to read the ATK image data from standard input and write the resulting PBM data to standard output, allowing for easy piping with other Netpbm utilities or redirection to a file.

Niche Utility: atktopbm is highly specialized for the Andrew Toolkit (ATK) raster format, which is largely obsolete and rarely encountered in modern computing environments.
Older Technology: Its primary relevance was during the active development and usage of the Andrew Project in the 1980s.
Limited Functionality: This command serves solely as a format converter. It does not offer options for image manipulation, scaling, color depth adjustments, or error correction.
Standard I/O Centric: It exclusively operates by reading from standard input and writing to standard output, which requires familiarity with shell redirection for file-based operations.

atktopbm strictly adheres to the Unix philosophy of reading from standard input (stdin) and writing to standard output (stdout). This means you typically interact with it using shell redirection (<, >) or pipes (|). For example, to convert an ATK file named image.atk to a PBM file named image.pbm, you would use the command:
atktopbm < image.atk > image.pbm
This design makes it highly versatile for integration into shell scripts and workflows where data flows sequentially between commands.

atktopbm originated from the Andrew Project at Carnegie Mellon University, an ambitious distributed computing environment project from the 1980s. It was later incorporated into the pbmplus package, which eventually evolved into the comprehensive Netpbm suite of graphics utilities. Its development reflects the need to integrate proprietary or specialized graphics formats from that era into more universal, interoperable standards like the Netpbm formats. Its primary purpose has always been to facilitate the processing and viewing of legacy ATK graphical data within the broader Unix/Linux ecosystem.

pbmtoatk(1), netpbm(1), pbm(5), convert(1)