diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 29432192..bc634c76 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
-- JPEG write should know about CMYK as well, maybe write all 4 band images as
-  CMYK? probably need to test Type so we don't get confused by RGBA
+- missing libstdc++ in link? what if we configure with no openexr?
 
-  test CMYK JPEG write, also PNG write with new saveable
+  added -lstdc++ to VIPS_LIBS, but will this work on solaris etc.? maybe have
+  a configure option to turn off CImg
 
-  can we use convert_saveable for PPM and friends as well?
+  there must be an autoconf macro that finds the stdc++ library name
 
-  should we invert CMYK on JPEG save?
+- test maxpos_avg, quite a few changes
 
-- HAVE_HYPOT could define a hypot() macro?
+WONTFIX
+=======
 
 - write our own python extension to call a vips operation by name
 
@@ -21,38 +22,6 @@
 
   or something like that?
 
-- try
-
-	im_max ~/pics/wtc.jpg
-	read: done in 8s          
-	iterate: done in 11s          
-	255
-
-	nip2 --vips-progress -e 'max (Image_file "~/pics/wtc.jpg")'
-	/home/john/.nip2-7.13.2/tmp/untitled-nip2-0-XOSIR1T.v: done in 18s
-	iterate: done in 20s          
-
-	nip2 --vips-progress ~/pics/wtc.jpg
-	/home/john/.nip2-7.13.2/tmp/untitled-nip2-0-X37AX1T.v: done in 23s
-	... then "max A1" at the cmd line
-	iterate: done in 32s          
-
-  is there a problem
-
-- test ppm writer
-
-- missing libstdc++ in link? what if we configure with no openexr?
-
-  added -lstdc++ to VIPS_LIBS, but will this work on solaris etc.? maybe have
-  a configure option to turn off CImg
-
-  there must be an autoconf macro that finds the stdc++ library name
-
-- test maxpos_avg, quite a few changes
-
-WONTFIX
-=======
-
 - HAVE_HYPOT could define a hypot() macro?
 
 - im_exr2vips can now use c++ api
diff --git a/libsrc/conversion/im_vips2ppm.c b/libsrc/conversion/im_vips2ppm.c
index e257dc9e..073a8d9f 100644
--- a/libsrc/conversion/im_vips2ppm.c
+++ b/libsrc/conversion/im_vips2ppm.c
@@ -214,9 +214,9 @@ write_ppm( Write *write, int ascii )
 		magic = "P2";
 	else if( in->Bands == 1 && !ascii )
 		magic = "P5";
-	else if( (in->Bands == 3 || in->Bands == 4) && ascii )
+	else if( in->Bands == 3 && ascii )
 		magic = "P3";
-	else if( (in->Bands == 3 || in->Bands == 4) && !ascii )
+	else if( in->Bands == 3 && !ascii )
 		magic = "P6";
 	else
 		assert( 0 );
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ im_vips2ppm( IMAGE *in, const char *filename )
 			_( "uncoded or IM_CODING_LABQ only" ) );
 		return( -1 );
 	}
-	if( in->Coding == IM_CODING_NONE && in->Bands != 1 && in->Bands != 3 ) {
+	if( in->Bands != 1 && in->Bands != 3 ) {
 		im_error( "im_vips2ppm", _( "1 or 3 band images only" ) );
 		return( -1 );
 	}