FUNCTIONALITY DESTROYED: ImageMagick disabled breaking visual processing capabilities

[krystophny]

CRITICAL FUNCTIONALITY LOSS: ImageMagick functionality has been completely disabled, eliminating core visual processing capabilities.

Evidence of Functionality Destruction

Message from Test Suite

=== Comprehensive Antialiasing Test Suite ===
SECURITY: ImageMagick functionality disabled for security compliance.
  All external command execution has been disabled.
  This test cannot run with security-hardened configuration.
=== SKIP: Test skipped due to security compliance ===

Functionality Assessment

DISABLED Capabilities:

• Antialiasing processing
• Image manipulation operations
• Visual quality enhancement features
• Image format conversions (potentially)
• Advanced image processing workflows

IMPACT: Major visual processing features are completely unavailable

Use Case Impact Analysis

1. Scientific Visualization

• Impact: Reduced visual quality for publications
• User Experience: Degraded plot quality
• Workarounds: None provided

2. High-Quality Output

• Impact: Cannot generate publication-quality graphics
• User Experience: Antialiasing unavailable
• Workarounds: Manual post-processing required

3. Image Processing Workflows

• Impact: Automated workflows broken
• User Experience: Manual intervention required
• Workarounds: External tools needed

Security vs Functionality Analysis

Security Rationale: External command execution prevention
Functionality Cost: Major visual processing capabilities lost
Alternative Solutions: None implemented
User Guidance: None provided

Questions for Implementation

1. Why was ImageMagick completely disabled vs secured?
2. What specific security threats does ImageMagick pose?
3. Are there secure alternatives implemented?
4. How should users achieve equivalent functionality?

Suggested Solutions

1. Secure ImageMagick Integration

• Use ImageMagick library APIs instead of command-line execution
• Implement command sanitization and validation
• Provide secure parameter passing

2. Alternative Implementation

• Use native image processing libraries
• Implement basic antialiasing in Fortran
• Provide equivalent functionality through other means

3. Configuration Options

• Allow secure ImageMagick usage with user configuration
• Provide security warnings for external tool usage
• Enable/disable external tools per user preference

Required Actions

1. URGENT: Assess if complete ImageMagick disabling is necessary
2. URGENT: Implement secure alternatives for critical visual features
3. IMMEDIATE: Document all disabled visual capabilities
4. CRITICAL: Provide user guidance for achieving visual quality

This represents a significant visual capability reduction affecting scientific and publication workflows.

[krystophny]

Consolidated into PRODUCT BACKLOG meta-issue #703 - Visual processing capability recovery