P3D Re: embed tag...

[Larry Berlin <lberlin@xxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Thu, 6 May 1999
>From: siragusa@xxxxxxxx
>..............
>You can always use the EMBED tag.  Not only is this the recommended
>way to present plugin data, but it also does not require your
>ISP to do anything.  You can visit the DepthCharge Developer's
>Site for instructions: http://www.vrex.com/depthcharge/dcdev/index.htm
>Or you can simply view the html source of any image on 3D Expo.

*****  I have the utmost respect for Jon Siragusa, his programming talents,
and his continuing interest in stereoscopic topics, BUT...

Why should any ISP be let off the hook for matters that they have a
responsibility for? Their equipment has a default operation installed for
good reasons. That default operation is intended to deal with any file type
that is unknown. The default operation is to *ASSUME* that the unknown file
is a text file. This allows the server to continue working without crashing
and most of the time, the unknown file probably is a text file. There are
probably security reasons for assuming unknowns are a text file too.

When that unknown file happens to be a JPS file, it doesn't look very nice
when it shows up as garbled text. It is expected of ISP's that their users
should be able to request a new MIME type whenever a special need comes up. 

The notion of a JPS file, which allows plug-ins to work with stereo images
is a great notion. Along with the basic concept is the idea that eventually
all ISPs will include JPS as a known MIME type. Until they all learn about
the situation, it is incumbent upon those with an interest in promoting
stereoscopic matters to make a simple, easy, NO COST request to add this
special MIME type to any server system on which they happen to have a web page.

That's it. No big hidden mysteries here at all! It's a simple request made
by those who know, to those who haven't heard. There is nothing at all hard
or expensive about adding the MIME type. There is nothing hard about
*asking* to add the MIME type. There is NO REASON to leave the
administrators of internet servers in the dark and *deliberately fail* to
ask them about adding a simple mime type. If they aren't asked, how are they
supposed to find out that anyone needs it or that it even exists? 

The only mystery is *why* is VRex choosing to promote methods that do not
further the support of JPS images throughout every part of the internet
industry? They of all people should be actively pursuing such notification
as it improves their overall marketplace.

Jon goes on to say:
>Or you can simply view the html source of any image on 3D Expo.

*****  Guess why this is true???!!!!!  IT IS BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE THE
MIME TYPE LISTED ON THEIR SERVER. Maybe they think no one will bother
viewing stereo images anywhere else except on 3D Expo? ;-)

A big part of the reason to request adding the MIME type is so that this
particular means of access (viewing the source HTML and requesting the JPS
file directly) can work properly. If the server thinks the JPS file is text,
it downloads as gibberish. If you listen to half way solutions, you end up
with a half way presentation on your web page. The visitor using anything
other than a Win9x system does not have a plug-in available at all, and the
option to visit the html source and request the JPS file results in text
(ascii) gibberish unless the server recognizes JPS as a JPG image file.

In the complete solution, you ask your ISP to add the mime type. Then you
present your JPS images in ANY WAY that you choose including with or without
the embed tag, and no one is excluded. Simple. Straigtforward. Honest. No
gimmicks of commercial intent.

The ideal future involves eventually getting *all ISPs* to include JPS along
with all the other standard file types that are routinely expected and
handled on the internet. You don't have to ask any ISP to include JPG, why
should you have to ask for JPS? Right now the only answer to that is that
JPS is relatively new on the scene. 

However with more and more people using it, it is advantageous for all ISP
servers to start recognizing it for what it is. That's where anyone with an
interest in stereo images comes into the picture. That's why the *most
complete recommendation* is to explicitly notify your ISP about the
situation NO MATTER HOW YOU CODE YOUR WEB PAGE. Ask politely for them to add
the mime type. When they add it for you, they enable it for every user on
their system. After that no one else has to ask. 

Many ISP's, including several very large ones, already have it installed so
try it out before making a request. That trial is best done with a simple
test HTML page (do not use the embed tag for this!) in which you have a
direct standard link to a JPS image file: 

<a href="sample.jps">Test Image</a>

If it downloads as text, the mime type is not recognized and you need to ask
for it to be added. If your browser offers to save the file to the hard
drive, or pops open an installed plug-in then the MIME type is active and
recognized.

Larry Berlin

Email: lberlin@xxxxxxxxx
http://3dzine.simplenet.com/


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