What you can with Athens and the  Cairo backend  is:

1) create a surface in memory

2) draw to the surface 

3) export that surface to a png

4) import that png into a form

The main point is step 3, cairo can export any surface to a png. Then within Pharo, any form can be created from a png.

Also, if you interested in drawing from Athens into a form directly, look at the AthensDemoExamples, and Igor's magic trick of matching the bits of the surface (step 1), directly to the bits of an "external" form. to avoid steps 3 and 4.  He used the surface plugin for that.

Hope i answered all your questions, though not sure because i've never used ImageReadWriter.

Fernando

On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 6:38 AM, Denis Kudriashov <dionisiydk@gmail.com> wrote:

I have same question :))

2013/1/23 Esteban Lorenzano <estebanlm@gmail.com<mailto:estebanlm@gmail.com>>

Hi,

So, ImageReadWriter currently reads image files and retrieve Form objects, who can be displayed in world...
anybody knows (cough, cough, Igor) what would be the Athens replacement for that?

thanks,
Esteban