IDM Mailing Archive

Is the new Sandoz lp worth getting? I tried to get it at the weekend, but the shop I tried said they were not carrying it because it wasn't very good, compared to the other two releases.....any views? Warren,

has a nifty Real Audio'd web pages care of Obsolete (sign of things to come?) at: http://www.obsolete.com/sandoz/ g.

At 12:14 PM 5/28/96, g3 wrote:

quoted 2 lines has a nifty Real Audio'd web pages care of Obsolete (sign of things to

>has a nifty Real Audio'd web pages care of Obsolete (sign of things to >come?)

let us sincerely pray that it is not. things wrong with mr kirk's web site: 1: frames - not only are they hideously ugly but they only work with netscape's browser. 2. gratuitous pages where all you do is click to get another page 3: everything is graphics, nothing for text searches to work on. it must be horribly slow on modem connections as well. 4: realaudio - terrible sounding, proprietary system, exorbitantly expensive. streamworks is far superior - it uses MPEG (an open standard), can deliver CD quality sound if your connection is fast enough, but is intelligent enough to scale back the quality if your connection is slower. (www.streamworks.com for a demo) sorry for the lack of idm content, but really, this web site is a classic example of How Not To Do It. on now: off and gone "everest" -- Name: Jon Email: jsd@cyborganic.com Web: http://www.cyborganic.com/bass-kittens/

On Tue, 28 May 1996, Jon Drukman wrote:

quoted 4 lines things wrong with mr kirk's web site:

> things wrong with mr kirk's web site: > > 1: frames - not only are they hideously ugly but they only work with > netscape's browser.

Well, that's your opinion of course. I personally like the look of frames. They can be implemented to serve as a table of contents or in the Sandoz site case it can serve to constantly show a logo or picture. Granted, frames reduce the area left to work with and they only work on Netscape, but I hardly think they are hideously ugly.

quoted 1 line 2. gratuitous pages where all you do is click to get another page

> 2. gratuitous pages where all you do is click to get another page

Point taken. However, the graphics are very nice indeed.

quoted 2 lines 3: everything is graphics, nothing for text searches to work on. it must

> 3: everything is graphics, nothing for text searches to work on. it must > be horribly slow on modem connections as well.

Well I didn't look at the source code, but I'll take your word that there was no text in the code for search engines. I have a 14.4Kbps modem and the connection was normal speed for me. The graphics did not slow things down too much.

quoted 5 lines 4: realaudio - terrible sounding, proprietary system, exorbitantly

> 4: realaudio - terrible sounding, proprietary system, exorbitantly > expensive. streamworks is far superior - it uses MPEG (an open standard), > can deliver CD quality sound if your connection is fast enough, but is > intelligent enough to scale back the quality if your connection is slower. > (www.streamworks.com for a demo)

Well after test driving Stream Works, I must say the quality is better than Real Audio when you actually get to hear the audio. Drop outs occur every once in awhile when using Stream Works which is somewhat annoying. Even after fiddling around with the preference settings for the audio quality, there didn't seem to be much of a difference in the drop out rate. MPEG with Stream Works, however, is not an option it seems if you have a 68K series Mac with a 14.4K modem, as I do. Instead, the audio is in LBR format (lowest bit rate, I think). Plus you forgot to criticize the Sandoz site for having all the Real Audio files only in 28.8Kbps format! This was fairly annoying for me, since I couldn't even listen to any of the songs since my modem is 14.4K. Lame. I know streaming 14.4 is possible with Real Audio, since I recently checked out a 70 minute interview with Steve Roach at the www.hotwired.com site. Quite a good site, for all of you you haven't visited yet by the way.

quoted 2 lines sorry for the lack of idm content, but really, this web site is a classic

> sorry for the lack of idm content, but really, this web site is a classic > example of How Not To Do It.

I agree there are some no-no's on this site, but I've seen a LOT worse. Plus it's Sandoz, so you gotta love it a little. +----------------------------------+ | Eric Frans | | franse@bigdog.engr.arizona.edu | +----------------------------------+

PAUL JARVIS <paul.jarvis@bbsrc.ac.uk> writes ""Dark Continent" originally saw the light of day back in 1993 as a six track, vinyl-only e.p. (now deleted). The new version, reviewed here, includes four additional tracks from the original recording session" Not true. The four new tracks were recorded in 1996. Paul Rafanello onnow: The Blue Nile "Peace At Last"