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Thread: LaserBoy 09-01-2008 !!!

  1. #11
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    Stupid or not stupid but they are a STANDARDS. Not following standards means that you'll be left behind. This is everywhere. Those stupid ISO 696969 whatever... They may be stupid but they are to make everything comparable.

    What about making a completely separate save option for standard ilda?
    I hired an Italian guy to do my wires. Now they look like spaghetti!

  2. #12
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    If I made it possible to save ILDA formats 4 & 5 then I'd have to write the code that makes it possible to open those formats as well.

    On the other hand, if everyone here on the PL were to come together and ask Patrick Murphy to fix the ILDA file format, once and for all, then it would all be right!

    If nothing else, I'd like to know who f**ked it up and why.

    I'm trying to make things better. I think I've made things better for you! Pure BS has no place in computer science.

    I guess I should write a work around so that LaserBoy can read and write F**ked up 3 and 4 & 5. That way it won't matter at all to LaserBoy users and whoever is holding up progress on the real ILDA standard won't have that as a reason anymore.

    James.
    Last edited by James Lehman; 09-02-2008 at 21:26.

  3. #13
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    No, you should hold your ground. I support you in doing so.

  4. #14
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    No I'm not asking for myself. I'm more then happy what Laserboy is. But other people?!?!? People with Phoenix LDS DSP and Anarchy have no problem opening files but the rest?!?!? To make everything comparable many companies have to change their code to accept Laserboy ILDA files. They will not do that. And even if Patrick changes the ILDA standard it will take a long time for everyone to adapt.

    If I was programmer I would just say F it and write a saparate module for loading and saving those ILDa files. And then check if there is any increase in popularity of the tool. It'll open your tool to much bigger audience.

    We already argued about Max converter and Illustrate+Laserboy combo. Yes combo is not as powerful as Max converter. It doesn't have many features but it does a very good job.
    Last edited by Dr Laser; 09-02-2008 at 21:38.
    I hired an Italian guy to do my wires. Now they look like spaghetti!

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by carmangary View Post
    No, you should hold your ground. I support you in doing so.
    I think I'll take that as sarcasm.

    James.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by James Lehman View Post
    I guess I should write a work around so that LaserBoy can read and write F**ked up 3 and 4 & 5. That way it won't matter at all to LaserBoy users
    This would be the best course of action, IMO...

    ILDA is *not* going to change anything anytime soon. (Things change slowly when they're decided by committee) Even if they did change the fiile spec, that would mean that Mamba, Pangolin, LA Freak, and a bunch of other software would then need to be re-written. And that's not going to happen anytime soon either.

    Whereas if you rewrite your software (not a trivial matter, I understand), then your software immediately becomes more useful to all those other laserists out there that are currently using those other programs.

    I know I'd like to see it. There are a few projects I'd like to attempt with LaserBoy. (I have some old object files that I've created using the Imagine raytrace engine... I can export them to .DXF, import them into LaserBoy, recolor them, and then save them as ILDA. But to use them, they need to be in the right format.)

    In other news, I still have no idea why a circle looks like a rounded rectangle when displayed through the sound card DAC. (This is using the .wav file output from laserboy - playing through media player.) Later on I'll install Dr. Lava's EasyLase USB emulation driver and give it a shot with Mamba, but right now I've got two more important things on my mind: Tropical storm Hanna , and the ILDA cruise next week!

    Adam

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Whereas if you rewrite your software (not a trivial matter, I understand), then your software immediately becomes more useful to all those other laserists out there that are currently using those other programs.
    Actually, it is fairly trivial based on my experience. I only needed to add a handful of lines of code to add support for formats 4 & 5. They are barely different from formats 0 & 1. He already supports some variation of format 3. That one is the stickler because there really is no good way to tell by looking at his version and the ILDA version which one you have. They both have a 3 as the format code. My suggestion to him was to change his to format 100 or whatever if he feels strongly about keeping it and then implement the ILDA defined format 3. But, what's the point in that since no one other than LaserBoy will ever use it. I know what James' reasoning is... his way is friendlier to C++. But, standards are not defined by implementation for a reason. Why make the standard nice just for C++ when my C# doesn't care?

    Heck, I'll tell you what. If James doesn't get on the ball with making his software read and write proper files I will create a utility to convert between LaserBoy and standard ILDA and give it away for free on my website.

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by carmangary View Post
    Heck, I'll tell you what. If James doesn't get on the ball with making his software read and write proper files I will create a utility to convert between LaserBoy and standard ILDA and give it away for free on my website.


    What a guy!

    The only difference between C++ and C# is that C# is already dead. It just hasn't been buried yet. Math is math. C++ is generic, universal and will live on forever.

    The reason the ILDA file format has staggered and stumbled and fallen so many times is not because it was designed by a committee.

    This is an exact quote from Wiki:

    ILDA Image Transfer Format
    The International Laser Display Association developed an image format suitable for interchanging image data between laser controllers and laser fixtures. The information may also be stored as frames, which can then be stored on a computer or other controlling device. Companies in charge of the technical committee of ILDA are LaserMedia, Image Engineering, Foresight, and Laser Dream. Since ILDA's inception in the early 1990s, profit for large laser companies, which developed the technology, have plummeted. This may be due to the fact that the technology has become more widespread in manufacture and affordable.

    What you all seem to fail to understand is that there is nothing complicated about any of this. We are all suffering the consequences of some sh*t-head who f**ked it all up for all of us on purpose.

    WE can fix this, if WE demand it. But WE all have to care.

    I offered my code to ILDA as an example of the new standards. Obviously that didn't get very far.

    As far as those guys changing their code.... They get paid to do that.

    James.
    Last edited by James Lehman; 09-03-2008 at 11:32.

  9. #19
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    James face the truth.... Big companies give less then shit about Laserboy and your ILDA proposal. They will never adapt anything you or me or any regular Joe Blow send them. By fighting them you're basically forgetting that you are fighting regular Joe Blows.....us. You can only fight monsters on their playground.

    Imaging that you made Laserboy comparable only with itself. carmangary makes player that supports only own formats. and so on... who is going to suffer?.. Big companies?... they don't giva shit.

    Yes it would be a good idea to make a own version of ILDA but what about all those ILDA made with Pangolin and etc softwares.
    I hired an Italian guy to do my wires. Now they look like spaghetti!

  10. #20
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    ILDA is dead. No need to do anything to it except follow it.

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