Posted by volfro on 11/26/05 09:22

> Oh no, child, you're confused. When I said "differently", I actually
> meant BETTER. IE relies on DirectX transform filters to handle the
> full aspects of the PNG format, which is VASTLY SUPERIOR to the
> botched compatibility that's put into Mozilla based browsers. Really,
> it's not Microsoft that needs to change, it's the other browser
> makers.

Oh, THAT explains why any form of alpha-transparency works in IE.
You're right, I WAS confused. Thanks for clearing that up.

> >Thanks for your suggestion for the PNG gamma though. I'm not entirely
> >sure what you mean
>
> I'm sure you don't, but that's not really so much my problem, I'm not
> an instructor, I simply pointed out how the "problem" could be
> avoided.

It's good that I didn't ask you to teach me then. Jerk.

> I found this one on the net, made a couple minor mods to it and put it
> in an external js file for easy portability:
> http://www.backwater-productions.net/detect.js
>
> The script is real simple and straightforward, I suppose you could
> rewrite it from scratch if you really had the inclination.

I don't know javascript yet, so I certainly wouldn't be able to rewrite
it. Thanks for the script though. I'm not going to use javascript in
this site though, I want it to be as widely accessible as
possible--besides my lack of skills. I'll just use GIF and JPG.

> >I don't want to use JPG in that
> >header because all the artifacting is extremely annoying to my eyes,
> >but I'm sure the change will be transparent to the client. If it's too
> >much, though, I may just switch to JPG/GIF (which is aggravating. PNG
> >is better than both. grmblgrmbl).
>
> ...not really. No format is particularly "better" than another, it
> really depends on the specific situation. Often in my sites I employ
> a whole array of different image formats and use split form
> techniques, using the "best" formats for the right parts.

Well good for you. The PNG algorithm, though, produces smaller files
at higher visual quality than GIF or JPG. Besides full support for
alpha transparencies (you know, the things that MS has yet to implement
properly in IE--even with the "help" of DirectX).

> Again, you seem to be confused. The style in and of itself is not
> new, it's most often associated with old timey banks, business, etc.
> But the style isn't really the problem, it's the IMPLEMENTATION of the
> style. Despite what you think I said, you misunderstood. For example
> I've seen some sites that use grids and image overlays and it look
> VERY nice...the point is that when they used the style they didn't go
> at it like spastic tweenage muppet fuck strung out on pixie stixs.

I never said I thought the style was new. I said your example of it
was ugly.

> Here's a good example of what the style being used in a general sense:
> http://www.prosolutions.tv/templates/marble/

That? It doesn't quite look like you "went at it like spastic tweenage
muppet fuck strung out on pixie stixs", but it's still pretty ugly. I
understand that banks et al use embossed gold letters, but usually, it
looks good. Not bad. Like that.

> Again though, like mine, that's just a mockup, you could REALLY
> develop the design though and take it to a truly artistic level. Try
> this site for some inspiration:
> http://www.wincustomize.com/Skins.aspx?LibID=22

Truly artistic like yours? I'm glad I have a designer like you to look
up to.

> Often times I like to take design ideas from OS skins/themes and
> remake them for my web stuff. Like what I did here:
> http://www.backwater-productions.net/hatter-blog/stories/1-10.png
>
> The original calendar was actually green and came from one of those
> skins...I looked at it, studied it various parts and then recreated
> each part and made my own from scratch. It's very cool looking and
> really nice design. You can do the same, the gold and green is really
> just a color scheme, Kiddo, it wasn't a design suggestion so much.

Yeah, she wanted gold in it, but decided against it once I showed her
some mockups using that scheme, as the gold is fairly ugly--besides
being hard to portray onscreen, unless you use (again, ugly) embossed
letters and dropshadows, which looks much like the Internet of 1998.
No thanks to that.

Thanks anyway.

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