[PLUG] Installing Java Software, XML and PNG Files

[John Jason Jordan]

I learned about this program from a professor:

http://www.ece.ubc.ca/~donaldd/help/help.htm

Accoding to the first paragraph (Introduction) it says it says it "was written in Java, and will operate in Microsoft, Linux, and MacIntosh environments."

I downloaded the Windows zip file and it runs on my Windows 2000 computer. Sourceforge lists only a Mac and a Windows download file, so I downloaded the same Windows zip file to my Ubuntu-64 Breezy computer and unzipped it. However, I am at a loss to figure out how to run it. Or will it run in Linux? Java is supposed to be cross-platform, right?

Also, assuming I can get it to run, it appears to save its files in XML format, or I can export as PNG. The PNG export is a raster image and it kind of sucks. I'd like to be able to use the images in OpenOffice.org Writer. I already tried it on my Windows 2000 computer and all I could get Writer to accept was the PNG file. It will also open the XML file, but it comes in as a text file, sort of like what you get if you open an EPS file in a text editor -- just a list of the code.  Is there a utility that can turn the XML file into a real vector file?