Original Usenet thread from alt.ascii-art, started 22 Jun 1998.
Netly News article
alt.ascii-art
· 10 messages · 22 Jun 1998 - 29 Jun 1998
<URL:http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/article/0,2334,13735,00.html>
June 19, 1998
Microsoft to ASCII Folk
Art: Drop Dead
By Nathaniel Wice
Microsoft handed down a bizarre
pronouncement earlier this week,
declaring that ASCII art is dead.
The folk art is at least three
decades old, and has populated
mainframes with directories full
of the Mona Lisa, Ms. October
and the Starship Enterprise -- all
rendered with lines of typewriter
characters. The art later spread
through the signature (.sig) files
in e-mail, along the way
spawning whole new dialects of
smileys and emoticons. As a
1994 FAQ on ASCII art declared,
"Ascii art will continue to be the
appropriate, populist technology
for graphics on Internet."
Notification of ASCII art's demise
came from Redmond in
Tuesday's Internet Explorer Tip of
the Day:
CUTE, BUT USELESS
Many people still like to use ASCII
characters to draw pictures in
their e-mail. You know, you see
those pictures made up of
numerous X's, I's, etc. These
things were cool in their day. The
problem is, their day is over.
ASCII pictures don't display
correctly when the viewer is
using proportional fonts -- and a
huge number of people (perhaps
most) are using proportional
fonts.
We suggest that you resist the
temptation to send ASCII
pictures with your e-mail.
Jorn Barger, the author of the
1994 FAQ, had a different tip of
the day for Microsoft when
contacted for a response:
"Sophisticated Net users create
tables and graphs and indenting
and centering and borders -- all
requiring a monospaced font." He
wants the software Goliath to
resist a temptation of its own:
"Microsoft feeds on software
bloat. Even if they recognized
'appropriate technology' they'd
still be driven to suppress it." And
what's "cool in its day"? "If Bill
Gates keeps setting his
applications' default font to
proportional, then his users will
continue looking dumb when
their e-mail and Net news
postings don't wrap properly!"
--
I EDIT THE NET: <URL:http://www.mcs.net/~jorn/html/weblogs/weblog.html>
"In human stupidity, when it is not malicious, there is something very
touching, even beautiful... There always is." --Leo Tolstoy
Jorn Barger wrote: > > <URL:http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/article/0,2334,13735,00.html> >... > Microsoft handed down a bizarre > pronouncement earlier this week, > declaring that ASCII art is dead. >... > Jorn Barger, the author of the > 1994 FAQ, had a different tip of > the day for Microsoft when > contacted for a response: > "Sophisticated Net users create > tables and graphs and indenting > and centering and borders -- all > requiring a monospaced font." He > wants the software Goliath to > resist a temptation of its own: > "Microsoft feeds on software > bloat. Even if they recognized > 'appropriate technology' they'd > still be driven to suppress it." And > what's "cool in its day"? "If Bill > Gates keeps setting his > applications' default font to > proportional, then his users will > continue looking dumb when > their e-mail and Net news > postings don't wrap properly!" To which Bill would reply: `If the so-called "sophisticated Net users" were posting and e-mailing in HTML, *like they should*, they wouldn't *need* to use a monospaced font to create tables and graphs and indenting and centering and borders -- *and* they'd be able to include *real* graphics in their messages'. To which Jorn and a chorus of a.a-ers (PeteCasso excepted, I think) would reply: `But only a minority of people can read messages sent in HTML, and besides, it's a ridiculous waste of bandwidth'. To which Bill would reply: `Well, if they were all using Microsloth's Outloop Excess, *like they should*, then they would be able to view HTML messages'. To which the aforementioned sophisticated Net-users would reply: `Use a *Microsloth* product? ... oooooooooo. oooo oooo `888' `Y8b `888 `888 888 888 .oooo. 888 .oo. .oooo. 888 .oo. .oooo. 888oooo888' `P )88b 888P"Y88b `P )88b 888P"Y88b `P )88b 888 `88b .oP"888 888 888 .oP"888 888 888 .oP"888 888 .88P d8( 888 888 888 d8( 888 888 888 d8( 888 o888bood8P' `Y888""8o o888o o888o `Y888""8o o888o o888o `Y888""8o oooo .o. .o. .o. `888 888 888 888 888 .oo. .oooo. 888 888 888 888P"Y88b `P )88b Y8P Y8P Y8P 888 888 .oP"888 `8' `8' `8' 888 888 d8( 888 .o. .o. .o. o888o o888o `Y888""8o Y8P Y8P Y8P ' [Roman.flf] Thus speaketh the *1998* FAQ: ---- People use ASCII art for a variety of reasons, some of which are: * it is the most universal computer art form in the world -- every computer system capable of displaying multi-line text can display ASCII art, without needing to have a graphics mode or support a particular graphics file format; * an ASCII picture is hundreds of times smaller in file size than its GIF or BMP equivalent, while still giving a good idea of what something looks like; * it is easy to copy from one file to another; * it's fun to do! ---- And: ---- But before you start, a word about fonts. For ASCII art you should use a fixed-width font [see Question 4], because every type of computer system is guaranteed to have one, and that after all is one of the main reasons ASCII art exists -- because everyone can view it. Different fixed- width fonts do vary slightly in the height of the characters, but for most drawings this doesn't matter that much. DON'T try to post pictures drawn in a proportional-width (ie non-fixed-width) font: even if you specify the exact font you used, the chances of other people being able to read it are pretty slim (even `standard' proportional fonts such as Times New Roman can vary in width from computer to computer). ---- Anyway, well said, Jorn! Yours in fixed-width -- __ /_/\ Matthew Thomas, who wasn't interviewed by anyone :-) _\_\/_ http://cantua.canterbury.ac.nz/~mpt26/ (Site for sore eyes) /_/\/_/\ ASCII ART FAQ: http://cantua.canterbury.ac.nz/~mpt26/art/ascii/ \_\/\_\/ <-- If this looks weird, you should be using a fixed-width font PS: As you can see, I have my own Web site now, complete with ASCII FAQ! Don't everyone rush at once looking for pictures there, though, because I have exactly THREE pictures on-site ...
> To which Jorn and a chorus of a.a-ers (PeteCasso excepted, I think) > would reply: `But only a minority of people can read messages sent in > HTML, and besides, it's a ridiculous waste of bandwidth'. Ha ha ha! I love this comment! :-))) The essence of ascii art is independent of medium, and I have shown that on my (non-html) website on a variety of media. Moreover, I posted articles here on aaa with background information showing means and ways how ascii art can be evolved from one medium to the next. (Those articles were longer than the attention span of some people on this newsgroup, ha! ;-)) I realize the pace of evolution though, although indeed, I can't see why one would struggle against, rather than embracing evolution :-))) ========================================================= [] .oo Visit the Gallery of the 'steins! [] [] ( -) http://www3.sympatico.ca/petecasso/ [] [] " " Frogstein, who has a point behind his eyes [] =========================================================
.----- On Tue, 23 Jun 1998 22:53:51 +1200, Matthew Thomas posted: | _ | /_/\ Matthew Thomas, who wasn't interviewed by anyone :-) | _\_\/_ http://cantua.canterbury.ac.nz/~mpt26/ (Site for sore eyes) |/_/\/_/\ ASCII ART FAQ: http://cantua.canterbury.ac.nz/~mpt26/art/ascii/ |\_\/\_\/ <-- If this looks weird, you should be using a fixed-width font | |PS: As you can see, I have my own Web site now, complete with ASCII FAQ! |Don't everyone rush at once looking for pictures there, though, because |I have exactly THREE pictures on-site ... '--------------------------- Can I nab it for my website... the copy I have is a bit outa date! http://vibes.vossnet.co.uk/i/ighaig/ascfaq.htm |\/| _..__|_o._ /\_|_| o._ _ mart.atkins@-- | |(_|| |_|| | /--\|_|<|| |_> --bigfoot.com
Martin Atkins wrote: > > .----- On Tue, 23 Jun 1998 22:53:51 +1200, Matthew Thomas posted: > |... > |PS: As you can see, I have my own Web site now, complete with ASCII > |FAQ! Don't everyone rush at once looking for pictures there, though, > |because I have exactly THREE pictures on-site ... > '--------------------------- > > Can I nab it for my website... the copy I have is a bit outa date! Yes, as soon as I finish the HTML conversion. My mid-year university exams finish on July 8, so have another look on or about July 9. Adios -- .._o Matthew Thomas ..://\/ http://cantua.canterbury.ac.nz/~mpt26/ (Site for sore eyes) ..:_/\ ASCII FAQ: http://cantua.canterbury.ac.nz/~mpt26/art/ascii/ ..:/ <-- If this looks a mess, change your font to Courier!
Pete Casso wrote: > > To which Jorn and a chorus of a.a-ers (PeteCasso excepted, I think) > > would reply: `But only a minority of people can read messages sent in > > HTML, and besides, it's a ridiculous waste of bandwidth'. > > Ha ha ha! I love this comment! :-))) > > The essence of ascii art is independent of medium, and I have shown that on my > (non-html) website on a variety of media. Moreover, I posted articles here on > aaa with background information showing means and ways how ascii art can be > evolved from one medium to the next. (Those articles were longer than the > attention span of some people on this newsgroup, ha! ;-)) > > I realize the pace of evolution though, although indeed, I can't see why one > would struggle against, rather than embracing evolution :-))) I am pleased to see that you learn quickly. Would that all were as forward-looking and insightful as Citizen Casso. This preposterous ASCII art faction forgets that all shall browse through the eyes of the Internet Exploder, and shall crave none but the succulent media provided by such bulletproof multimedia technology as DirectX. And as for these blasphemous heretics who resist the overwhelming flood of advancement with their subhuman, primitive "art," they shall not last long under the tide of proprietary formats which shall control all knowledge and all power. Resistance is futile! You will be assimilated! ________________ / BB /| +---------------+ | | ___ ___ | | Citizen! The Computer is | | | | | | | your friend! | | | | | | | | | @@| |@@ | | | | | @@| |@@ | | | | ~~~ ~~~ |/ +---------------+ .@@ .@@ .@@ .@@ ( ~) ( ~) ( ~) ( ~) " " " " " " " "
I like the comment and the pic with Frogstein's eyes in the dark of the computer box (at least that is haw I interpret the pic.) A few notes: => the original Microsoft announcement gives the impression that conversion to proportional font is a mere matter of a few months which will positively NOT be the case. A reference point: the Macintosh platform introduced proportional font on a big scale more than a decade ago, but until today the Macintosh platform gives you (arguably) MORE non-proportional font options than the Windows platform which has begun adopting proportional font in a big scale only a couple of years ago (I made side by side comparisons with Softwindows emulations that I installed on my Macintosh a couple of months ago.) More specifically, we will be able to post ascii pics on aaa and display them on our monitor in the usual way for at least several years, although the frequency of "my pics look all scrambled" questions will continuously increase, to the point that it will be more practical to post ascii pics in html (i.e. at that point, there will be more people seeing the ascii pic correctly in the html medium than in a text editor medium. This is caused by html having display instructions in the form of tags, and by text editors built into email and newsgroup software that are increasingly adopting proportional fonts as their defaults.) => it is ActiveX, not DirectX, BTW. ActiveX competes with Java for web multimedia and I have examples of both on my website in the "The Javasteins" and the "The Shocksteins" sections, respectively, which show that ascii content can reside on these and other media, just like paintings can be done in water colors, or oil, or other media. Java is pretty much under control of Sun Microsystems, not Microsoft. => Well, I mentioned Apple's Macintosh and Sun's Java (I use them both) and as the US federal govenment and 20 US states and as hordes of many others, I too wish that their and Netscape's (I use that too) and others' commercial positions were a bit stronger. But the point is, that these platforms are far from dead, they are co-responsible to a high degree for the on-going mainstream trend away from non-proportional font and towards proportional font. (Of course, Microsoft is co-responsible to a high degree as well.) => and finally, as far as "Resistance is futile! You will be assimilated!" goes, this should not be an either or proposition for ascii pics. As I said before, ascii pics can reside on many other media, the next step up being html, and that looks like a natural and beneficial evolution kind of thing to me, not an assimilation kind of thing. ========================================================= [] .oo Visit the Gallery of the 'steins! [] [] ( -) http://www3.sympatico.ca/petecasso/ [] [] " " Frogstein, who has a point behind his eyes [] ========================================================= Nathan Kennedy wrote: > I am pleased to see that you learn quickly. Would that all were as > forward-looking and insightful as Citizen Casso. This preposterous > ASCII art faction forgets that all shall browse through the eyes of > the Internet Exploder, and shall crave none but the succulent media > provided by such bulletproof multimedia technology as DirectX. And > as for these blasphemous heretics who resist the overwhelming flood > of advancement with their subhuman, primitive "art," they shall not > last long under the tide of proprietary formats which shall control > all knowledge and all power. > > Resistance is futile! You will be assimilated! > > ________________ > / BB /| > +---------------+ | > | ___ ___ | | Citizen! The Computer is > | | | | | | | your friend! > | | | | | | | > | | @@| |@@ | | | > | | @@| |@@ | | | > | ~~~ ~~~ |/ > +---------------+ > > .@@ .@@ .@@ .@@ > ( ~) ( ~) ( ~) ( ~) > " " " " " " " "
Pete Casso <pet...@sympatico.ca> wrote -- > More specifically, we will be able to post ascii pics on aaa and display > them on our monitor in the usual way for at least several years, > although the frequency of "my pics look all scrambled" questions will > continuously increase, to the point that it will be more practical to > post ascii pics in html (i.e. at that point, there will be more people > seeing the ascii pic correctly in the html medium than in a text editor > medium. This is caused by html having display instructions in the form > of tags, and by text editors built into email and newsgroup software > that are increasingly adopting proportional fonts as their defaults.) You seem to expect that the option to use a monospaced font will be taken away from us, and you seem resigned to this. This makes Bill smile. If it doesn't work in plaintext, it won't work in HTML, unless we all use the SAME proportional font. Again, Bill would like nothing better. ASCII art and HTML art are both subsets of character graphics. Character graphics predate computers by a long shot. There is no reason they cannot coexist. HTML art is fine, and I wish you the best, but no matter how long HTML art survives, it will not outlast ASCII art. No way. Dan Strychalski dski at cameonet, cameo, com, tw (no _x_) Apologies for the anti-spam devices and non-threading newsreader.
Dan Strychalski wrote: > ASCII art and HTML art are both subsets of character graphics. Character > graphics predate computers by a long shot. There is no reason they cannot > coexist. HTML art is fine, and I wish you the best, but no matter how long > HTML art survives, it will not outlast ASCII art. No way. You said essentially the same thing as me, using different words. Using your words, what I have said along with the above quote was: "Character graphics can exist in ascii, html, Java, ActiveX and other media." And in previous articles, I pointed out that character graphics move from one medium to the next, from typewriter (that allows for multiple overwrites and other things) to ascii to html to ActiveX, to Java, etc. > You seem to expect that the option to use a monospaced font will be taken > away from us, and you seem resigned to this. This makes Bill smile. > > If it doesn't work in plaintext, it won't work in HTML, unless we all use > the SAME proportional font. Again, Bill would like nothing better. Well, not quite. What I said was, that default fonts in email and newsgroup software used to be monospace, but that is (slowly) changing to proportional. The average person who never changes default fonts will see garbage instead of ascii pics, i.e. more and more people in the rest of the world outside the small ascii community will see garbage. With reference to Bill, I pointed out that players other than Bill are moving away from monospace to proportional. This is a mainstream trend, not a Microsoft only trend. HTML has the advantage of adding display instructions in the form of tags, e.g. use the pre tag for proportional. That will solve the proportional font problem, but obviously, HTML can do more. HTML offers more possibilities for character graphics which is beneficial progress. And indeed, I have embraced this evolution and used to use character graphics in HTML on my website (and have then moved further on to even more advanced media.) ========================================================= [] .oo Visit the Gallery of the 'steins! [] [] ( -) http://www3.sympatico.ca/petecasso/ [] [] " " Frogstein, who has a point behind his eyes [] =========================================================
Pete Casso wrote: > > Dan Strychalski wrote: > > If it doesn't work in plaintext, it won't work in HTML, unless we all use > > the SAME proportional font. Again, Bill would like nothing better. > > HTML has the advantage of adding display instructions in the form of tags, > e.g. use the pre tag for proportional. That will solve the proportional font ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Oops, change the highlighted word to monospace. You can specify proportional fonts with the font face tag, e.g. specify Arial for posting aol pics, and the viewer will automatically see it in the correct Arial font. Support for the font face tag is not very uniform at the moment, but improving rapidly, driven by the need of mainstream web page designers for better typographical and hence better font control. The non-mainstream html graphics community can take advantage by riding that wave. ========================================================= [] .oo Visit the Gallery of the 'steins! [] [] ( -) http://www3.sympatico.ca/petecasso/ [] [] " " Frogstein, who has a point behind his eyes [] =========================================================
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