Comments on: Five Hundred Years From Now, Who’ll Know The Difference? http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/ the webcomics blog about webcomics Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:40:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Fleen: Written by bitter, haggard wordbeasts » In Search Of … Writers http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-45085 Fleen: Written by bitter, haggard wordbeasts » In Search Of … Writers Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:34:21 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-45085 [...] Extensive webcomics reading habits are not a prerequisite. In fact, if you’re relatively new to the scene, watching you discover things for the first time and reporting on it would be downright useful. And don’t feel that you have to know lots of people on the inside — trust me, you’ll be getting email from them soon enough, and finding out that they’re pretty much cool people to know. So fire up the text editor of your choice, send us some words — review, analysis, critique, interview, wildly inaccurate jokey piece that gets mistaken for serious — and let us see what you got. Who knows? You could be the next Eric Burns, and then fame, fortune, and Peeps are yours for the asking, my friend. [...] [...] Extensive webcomics reading habits are not a prerequisite. In fact, if you’re relatively new to the scene, watching you discover things for the first time and reporting on it would be downright useful. And don’t feel that you have to know lots of people on the inside — trust me, you’ll be getting email from them soon enough, and finding out that they’re pretty much cool people to know. So fire up the text editor of your choice, send us some words — review, analysis, critique, interview, wildly inaccurate jokey piece that gets mistaken for serious — and let us see what you got. Who knows? You could be the next Eric Burns, and then fame, fortune, and Peeps are yours for the asking, my friend. [...]

]]> By: Fleen: Written by bitter, haggard wordbeasts » IndieKarma — So, It’s Been A Month http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-4769 Fleen: Written by bitter, haggard wordbeasts » IndieKarma — So, It’s Been A Month Wed, 07 Jun 2006 20:57:08 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-4769 [...] So we’re pretty much where we were a month ago — without the new features, uptake is going to be slow. On the other hand, it is still just beta (whatever that means), and there are several hundred sites out there that are willing to take a flyer on the concept … it’s just a matter of finding them. On the other-other hand, the IndieKarma crew have a large incentive to get those features and site lists to us, since they’ll make money only if they facilitate transfer of funds (and nothing on the first dollar of the first 5000 users). All of which brings us back to the chicken-and-egg situation that is the chief barrier to the service. [...] [...] So we’re pretty much where we were a month ago — without the new features, uptake is going to be slow. On the other hand, it is still just beta (whatever that means), and there are several hundred sites out there that are willing to take a flyer on the concept … it’s just a matter of finding them. On the other-other hand, the IndieKarma crew have a large incentive to get those features and site lists to us, since they’ll make money only if they facilitate transfer of funds (and nothing on the first dollar of the first 5000 users). All of which brings us back to the chicken-and-egg situation that is the chief barrier to the service. [...]

]]> By: Scarybug http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-755 Scarybug Sat, 18 Feb 2006 16:51:45 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-755 I don't have an video iPod, but I have a Palm. It would be nice if ClickWheel let me sync my whatever to get comics. I don’t have an video iPod, but I have a Palm. It would be nice if ClickWheel let me sync my whatever to get comics.

]]> By: Joey Manley http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-746 Joey Manley Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:24:59 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-746 Okay, yeah, so the link doesn't work, but by typing "itpc:// etc." into my web browser, I was able to get iTunes to add the feed to my podcasts. Only to get an error message when I tried to update/download the feed ("There are no playable episodes for Astronaut Elementary"). So it's looking for audio or video. Ditching the .zips would not help, in Clickwheel's case. Joey www.webcomicsnation.com Okay, yeah, so the link doesn’t work, but by typing “itpc:// etc.” into my web browser, I was able to get iTunes to add the feed to my podcasts.

Only to get an error message when I tried to update/download the feed (”There are no playable episodes for Astronaut Elementary”). So it’s looking for audio or video. Ditching the .zips would not help, in Clickwheel’s case.

Joey
http://www.webcomicsnation.com

]]> By: Joey Manley http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-745 Joey Manley Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:24:17 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-745 Okay, yeah, so the link doesn't work, but by typing "itpc:// etc." into my web browser, I was able to get iTunes to add the feed to my podcasts. Only to get an error message when I tried to update/download the feed ("There are no playable episodes for Astronaut Elementary"). So it's looking for audio or video. Ditching the .zips would help, in Clickwheel's case. Joey www.webcomicsnation.com Okay, yeah, so the link doesn’t work, but by typing “itpc:// etc.” into my web browser, I was able to get iTunes to add the feed to my podcasts.

Only to get an error message when I tried to update/download the feed (”There are no playable episodes for Astronaut Elementary”). So it’s looking for audio or video. Ditching the .zips would help, in Clickwheel’s case.

Joey
http://www.webcomicsnation.com

]]> By: Jeff Lowrey http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-744 Jeff Lowrey Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:24:05 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-744 It didn't actually convert it. It stripped "itpc:" from the front, leaving "//webcomicsnation...". Which is then interpreted as being an http:// URL. It didn’t actually convert it. It stripped “itpc:” from the front, leaving “//webcomicsnation…”. Which is then interpreted as being an http:// URL.

]]> By: Joey Manley http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-743 Joey Manley Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:20:43 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-743 Seems the commenting system converted the itpc (in the link itself) into http. Trying again: <a href="//www.webcomicsnation.com/rss.php?type=series&series=735" rel="nofollow">itpc://www.webcomicsnation.com/rss.php?type=series&series=735</a> Joey www.webcomicsnation.com Seems the commenting system converted the itpc (in the link itself) into http. Trying again:

itpc://www.webcomicsnation.com/rss.php?type=series&series=735

Joey
http://www.webcomicsnation.com

]]> By: Joey Manley http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-742 Joey Manley Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:18:13 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-742 I still don't think that that would work. For example, here's an RSS feed with an unzipped image enclosure (Dave Roman's Astronaut Elementary): <a href="//www.webcomicsnation.com/rss.php?type=series&series=735" rel="nofollow"> itpc://www.webcomicsnation.com/rss.php?type=series&series=735</a> I used the "itpc" protocol in that link, so that should pull up iTunes and immediately add the RSS feed to your podcasts. I am guessing that this will NOT work. Even if iTunes recognizes the feed (minus audio or video file) as a podcast, I'm betting the transfer of the files will break in some way (the image file may end up in the MP3 container on the iPod, instead of the images container, for example). If anybody with an iPod could test this and let me know, I'd be interested in hearing the results. Joey www.webcomicsnation.com I still don’t think that that would work.

For example, here’s an RSS feed with an unzipped image enclosure (Dave Roman’s Astronaut Elementary):


itpc://www.webcomicsnation.com/rss.php?type=series&series=735

I used the “itpc” protocol in that link, so that should pull up iTunes and immediately add the RSS feed to your podcasts.

I am guessing that this will NOT work. Even if iTunes recognizes the feed (minus audio or video file) as a podcast, I’m betting the transfer of the files will break in some way (the image file may end up in the MP3 container on the iPod, instead of the images container, for example).

If anybody with an iPod could test this and let me know, I’d be interested in hearing the results.

Joey
http://www.webcomicsnation.com

]]> By: Tim Tylor http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-740 Tim Tylor Fri, 17 Feb 2006 17:03:40 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-740 How essential are zip files to Clickwheel? They clearly make sense for downloading archived strip episodes, but by the sound of it they're a hinderance when it comes to downloading current episodes into iPods through iTunes. It would make extra complexity, but it might still be worth trying to get current downloads through RSS as non-zipped files. Otherwise Howard Taylor's criticisms would continue to apply. How essential are zip files to Clickwheel? They clearly make sense for downloading archived strip episodes, but by the sound of it they’re a hinderance when it comes to downloading current episodes into iPods through iTunes. It would make extra complexity, but it might still be worth trying to get current downloads through RSS as non-zipped files. Otherwise Howard Taylor’s criticisms would continue to apply.

]]> By: Joey Manley http://www.fleen.com/archives/2006/02/05/five-hundred-years-from-now-wholl-know-the-difference/#comment-738 Joey Manley Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:31:10 +0000 http://www.fleen.com/?p=126#comment-738 I know iTunes' RSS support does encompass enclosures, but does it support *image* enclosures, or just audio and video? I'm at a little bit of a loss since I have no iPod on which to try these things ... I've been looking into the PSP as a potential format for delivery of comics. Some are doing it already (and limited support is built into WCN for PSP comics, though few are choosing to use it). The RSS reader Sony sells for the PSP will take a .zip enclosure, unzip it, and move any image files it finds into the proper "photos" directory on the PSP. Which is nice. But unlike iTunes, not everybody with the actual device will have access to this software (it's sold separately). The handheld market is a mess of competing proprietary standards. Until those guys get their act together, and start standardizing their formats in the same way that, for example, web browsers on PC's are all capable of handling certain standard media formats, any real business application of comics-on-handhelds is, at best, a science fair application, I'm afraid. But I could be wrong! Joey www.webcomicsnation.com I know iTunes’ RSS support does encompass enclosures, but does it support *image* enclosures, or just audio and video? I’m at a little bit of a loss since I have no iPod on which to try these things …

I’ve been looking into the PSP as a potential format for delivery of comics. Some are doing it already (and limited support is built into WCN for PSP comics, though few are choosing to use it). The RSS reader Sony sells for the PSP will take a .zip enclosure, unzip it, and move any image files it finds into the proper “photos” directory on the PSP. Which is nice. But unlike iTunes, not everybody with the actual device will have access to this software (it’s sold separately).

The handheld market is a mess of competing proprietary standards. Until those guys get their act together, and start standardizing their formats in the same way that, for example, web browsers on PC’s are all capable of handling certain standard media formats, any real business application of comics-on-handhelds is, at best, a science fair application, I’m afraid.

But I could be wrong!

Joey
http://www.webcomicsnation.com

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