ILDA Format

[buffo]

The question is; of format 3 vs. formats 4 & 5, which is better?

James, i think we already covered that.. the answer is politics, ego, and nothing to do with the technical.

I think this is the heart of the issue. The ILDA standard evolved into format 4 and 5, which *is* different from the erlier versions. I see James' point on that score.

However, Keeperx nailed it. The format has evolved. The decision was made long ago. Regardless of the technical merits (or lack thereof) of that decision, it's done.

Also, it was designed by a committee, which means it's a compromise. And we all know that a good compromise leaves everyone angry! But seriously, at this point it is what it is, and the laser software industry has had to adapt to it.

Personally, I don't have a problem with it. I can still create ILDA artwork, and I've yet to run across a program that won't work with the files I have. (And that includes the alphalite software, the X-29/Full auto software, the Anarchy editor, Mamba Black, Spaghetti, LaserBoy, and Pangolin.)

Adam

[James Lehman]

You must be very happy with that default palette of only 62 colors. Because, within all of the applications that you mentioned, that I am aware of, the only commonality is format 0 & 1 with the default palette assumed. In other words, your laser art universe has only 62 possible colors in it. YUK!

I don't think the ILDA standard is any more "done" today than it was more than 4 years ago when I started working with it. The only thing that is "done" is Pangolin's implementation of formats 4 & 5.

LaserBoy has been "doing" formats 0, 1, 2 & 3 for several years.

I have not exactly been a stranger to the people who have been working on the standard in that time.

James.

[keeperx]

um... there is no format 3...

[soforene]

I'm looking forward to Format 6.
No idea what it will be but going forward is always a sign of progress whereas harping on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on andon about a dead format is the sign of an obsessive compulsive numpty.

** God Bless Pangolin and all the stout and hearty fellows on the ILDA committee that drive progress forward !! **

"Oh say can you see
By the dawns early light
Pangolin is the Daddy
And Laserboy's shite...."

You know, I think I'm getting the hang of this thread hijacking malarkey.
Mercy me, I am a bit of a tinker aren't I.

I do hope that my fellow laserists will forgive me but a wise man (I believe it was Jesus) said "Those who live by the sword , die by the sword".
Now what can we learn from this?
Well, obviously that Jesus would stab tinkerbell with his sword if he were alive today. Tough love I think they call it.
A kind of SAW5 anology. Not that Jesus wears a big smiley face mask. But then again. Maybe he does.

Perhaps Jigsaw is really Jesus in his second coming upon the Earth and we have all been blind.
Oh how could we have overlooked The Messiah.
Damn you Monty Python for sideswiping us by claiming he isn't the Messiah, just a very naughty boy !!

[absolom7691]

It was mentioned earlier on that if a file standard were to change so drastically, why would it not have a different extension? Basically, make an entirely new format, not an evolved version that is entirely different.

[soforene]

A wise man (I think it was Bill Benner but it could have been Jesus) once said that very thing to tinkerbell.
Use a different format name for your home grown format so that the professionals and people who can afford the best in laser software don't get confused between state of the art formats and an amateur home developed format that is archaic.

[absolom7691]

My suggestion isn't to segregate. It was in hopes of expansion and I was referring to ILDA. James can make any format he wants should he wish. If ILDA wants to progress too, they need to also create new formats, not just rehash old stuff. Also, top dollar does NOT mean the best. Mark Levinson, $12,000 vs. Carver, $1200. Both sound the same. Alienware $3500 vs. homebuilt $800..... the SAME. When an image is projected on a screen, that's what matters. I don't give a rat's ass about where optomized lines are in the file. So, we are talking the difference between cubic zerconia and diamond. They both look great around a woman's neck and NO ONE can tell the difference. Anyone who pays top dollar for the sake of paying top dollar is a moron.

[soforene]

Some of us don't pay top dollar for the sake of it.
We pay to support the companies that employ people who dedicate thousands of man hours to producing quality software and who continue to develop those products and support their customers.

But there'll always be a market for the little guys to produce their niche stuff to folks who are too poor to buy the best.

[absolom7691]

So, you don't pay for quality, or does that not matter? You never mentioned that you are paying for a product as well. Calm down everyone, I am not slamming Pangolin, I think it is great stuff. I just can't see paying top dollar for software that would allow me to create and display the same images that LaserBoy would. For support, James has also supported me every time I had a question about his software. Niche industries have conquered. Ever hear of MP3s? They are compressed verions of music files. They are cheaper than CDs and you can put them on multiple devices. I bet you have an iPod, or do you only buy CDs because that would be top dollar, along with a Bang and Olafson CD player with a Krell amp? Right... I am not slamming top dollar stuff, or the people who use it, I am merely saying, don't slam stuff that is not top dollar that can be every bit as good. Keep an open mind everyone.... and seriously, the name calling is juvinile.

[soforene]

... I bet you have an iPod..

How dare you !!
I am an iPhone kinda guy.
And I believe that if you want the mutts nuts then you are gonna have to pay (for all the R&D that has gone into making the product).
I believe a wise man (it might have been Bill Benner but it could have been Scotty) once said "Ya cannae change the law of physics".