diff --git "a/faqs.txt" "b/faqs.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/faqs.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,4182 @@ +File: academy/faqs/faq_allison.txt +http://www.ascii-art.de/info/faq_allison.txt + +From - Thu Jun 26 21:25:54 1997 +From: cfbd@southern.co.nz (Colin Douthwaite) +Newsgroups: alt.ascii-art,alt.ascii-art.animation,alt.binaries.pictures.ascii +Subject: Ye Olde Ascii Art FAQ ( Bob Allison ) +Date: 24 Jun 1997 19:04:34 GMT +Message-ID: <5op5o2$qnu$5@mnementh.southern.co.nz> + + +********************** IMPORTANT NOTE ************************ + + This is a copy of the last Ascii Art FAQ posted before Bob + Allison ( Scarecrow ) retired as Moderator of the newsgroup + "rec.arts.ascii" in June 1996. + + There is no guarantee that any of the references to Archives, + FTP Sites, Websites and Files are still valid. + +******************************************************************** + + + +Summary: what ASCII art is - why and what it's used for - types of + ASCII art how to use FTP, Gopher, WWW - how to save, + 'uudecode' and uncompress copyright info - how to make big + letters and gray scale pictures how to put an animation in + your .plan - info on posting ASCII art how to make sigs - + how to automatically add a sig to posts and email how to + make and view ASCII art - where to get art and tools - more + + + . . + ' + ` . * . * ' + . + . ' . ' . ` . . ' ) . + + '. ' _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ` ______ _______ _______ + '. +. /______//______//_____//_____//_____/ . /_____//____ //_______ + . . ` _______ _____ '___ + ___ '. ___ ______ _____/ / __ . ' + ' : / ___ /.\___ \*/ / . / / * / / ' / __ // . __/. '/ / . +. ' ./ /. / /_____) // /___ _/ /_ _/ /_ / / / // / \ \ '/ / ' + + . /_/ '/_//______//_____//_____//_____/ './_/ /_//_/ * \_\' /_/ ' + +___________________ . ___________________ ' ___________________ ' + ' / / ./ /. / /' . + * /__________________/' /__________________/ / _________ / . + ' . : ` . + ' . * / / . ' / /. + _______________ . ___________________ ' / / ` / / ' +. / / '/ /. / / . + / / . * + / __________/ ' . / _________ / / /'. /\/ / ( +/ / . / / . / / '/ /______/ / : `. + / ( ' ' / / . + / /. / / . ' +___/ . ` /____/. /____/ /________________ / ` + Version 4.9.2 April 9, 1996 \/ . + . ' * . + . ` . + + . + + + ___ ___ _ _ ___ ___ _____ ___ ___ _ _ ___ + | | / _ \| | | | __/ __!_ _!_ _/ _ \| \| / __! + | | | (_) | |_| | _|\__ \ | | | | (_) | .` \__ \ + | | \__\_\\___/!___!___/ !_! !___\___/!_|\_!___/ + | | O _ ___ _ _ ______ ___ ____ + | | /|\/ |_ _| \| | | ____! / _ \ / __ \ + __! !__, / | | || .` | | | | | | | | | | | + \ / \O / \ !___!_!\_! | |__ | !_! | | | | | + \ / \/| _/___\_ _ ___ ___ | __! | _ | | | | | + \ / | !_ _| |_| |_ _/ __! | | | | | | | | | | + \ / / \ | | | _ || |\__ \ | | | | | | | !__! | + Y _/ _\ !_! !_! !_!___!___/ !_! !_! !_! \___\_\ + + + + 1 What is ASCII art? + 2 Why use ASCII art instead of a GIF? + 3 What is ASCII art used for? + 4 What are the different kinds of ASCII art? + 5 What is the best way to view ASCII art? + 6 How can I learn to make ASCII art? + 7 Are there any ASCII tools? + 8 Where can I get ASCII tools? + 9 Where can I find ASCII art? + 10 How do I use FTP, Gopher, World Wide Web, and FTP Mail Servers? + 11 What does the Scarecrow recommend? + 12 Is it OK to copy ASCII art? + 13 How do I make those big letters? + 14 Where can I get Figlet? + 15 How can I make Gray Scale pictures? + 16 Where can I get Gray Scale converters? + 17 How can I make better Gray Scale conversions? + 18 What do those filename extensions mean? + 19 What is 'uuencoding'? + 20 How do I save, 'uudecode' and uncompress a file? + 21 How do I view animations and color images? + 22 How do I put an animation in my plan? + 23 How do I make a sig? + 24 How do I have my sig automatically added to my posts and email? + 25 What should I know about posting ASCII Art? + 26 Where is this FAQ available? + 27 Who made this FAQ? + + +__________________________________________________________________________ + + + ___ _ _ ____ _ _ ______ _____ ____ + O ,/ _ \ | \ | | / ___! | | | | | ____! | __ \ / ___! + /\/| !_! | | \| | | (___ | | /\ | | | !__ | !__) | | (___ + / | _ | | . ` | \___ \ \ \/ \/ / | __! | _ / \___ \ O , + /\ | | | | | |\ | ____) | \ /\ / | !____ | | \ \ ____) ||\/ + /_/_ !_! !_! !_! \_! !_____/ \/ \/ !______! !_! \_\ !_____/ |/\_ + + + + 1 What is ASCII art? + + Standard ASCII art is made with characters, such as: + + 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 + a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z + A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z + \ | - _ + % @ < ; ! = # . , : > ( ] / & $ ^ ' ` " ~ ) [ { } ? * + + + These characters are part of the ASCII (as - kee, America Standard +Code for Information Interchange) set. This part of the ASCII set, +is called the 'printable set' (7 bits, characters 32 to 126). +There's also non-standard ASCII art, which contain 'contral codes'. + + ASCII art is popular, with several ASCII art groups on the various +information services. Before computers, ASCII art was made on typewriters, +teletype machines (5 bit), and was created typographically. There are even +tee-shirts with the :-) smiley. + + + + 2 Why use ASCII art instead of a GIF? + + ASCII art is used because: + +o Standard ASCII art is the only type of graphics easily transmitted + and instantly viewable on any terminal, emulation, or + communications software. + +o If you can view text, you can view ASCII art (as it is made up of + standard text characters). No conversion or special software + required to view. Non-standard ASCII art (8 bit with control + codes) requires that the file be saved and "cat'd". See Questions + 20 and 21. + +o ASCII art is compact, a few K, not 20, 50, 100 or more K! + + + + 3 What is ASCII art used for? + + ASCII art is used for many things, like: + +o EDUCATION - A periodic table or molecular model for example. + +o CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION - Pictures are international. + +o BBS & SERVER SCREENS - Login and logoff screens, MUDs, promos, etc. + +o ENTERTAINMENT - Like a birthday 'card', holiday greetings, + invitations, congradulatory messages, children's picture stories, + etc. + +o VISUAL AID - Such as a wiring diagram, floor plan, illustrated + instructions, or flow chart, to eliminate a long involved + explanation with a graphic. + + + + 4 What are the different kinds of ASCII art? + + The first four use the standard printable set, and can be viewed +anywhere, anytime, on any equipment. They are: + +o Line drawing - Such as the stickmen above. This type of image is + made using characters for their shapes. + +o Lettering - Large and styled, like the title "ASCII ART FAQ" above. + +o Gray Scale picture - These create the illusion of gray shades by + using characters for their light emitting value (assuming you are + viewing light characters on a dark background). For example: + + $@B%8&WM#*oahkbdpqwmZO0QLCJUYXzcvunxrjft/\|()1{}[]?-_+~<>i!lI;:,"^`'. + + Lighter <- viewing light characters on a dark background -> Darker + Darker <- viewing dark characters on a light background -> Lighter + +o 3-D images - They can be viewed by people with similar vision in + both eyes. You try to focus as if you are looking at the back of + the monitor. The image should pop into focus and create a 3-D + illusion. Other 3-D images are viewed by putting your nose on the + monitor glass. See ASCII Art Resources for info on where to get + 3-D programs. + + + Other forms of ASCII art using the standard printable set include +the following four: + +o Geometric Article - Text is formed into interesting, meaningful shapes. + +o Picture Poem - A geometric article that is also a poem. See the + swan in the examples in ASCII Art Resources and ASCII Art + Reference (the Web version of the FAQ). + +o Page Making - Text and graphics are intermixed, as in a magazine. + +o Picture Story - A story told with accompanying ASCII pictures. + Created using ASCII art page making techniques. + + There are also non-standard types of ASCII art which cannot be +viewed immediately upon receiving. They contain 'control codes' for +color or animation. They must be 'uuencoded' to be posted or +emailed. For further information, see Question 19. + + + The three types of non-standard ASCII art are: + +o Animation - You see an animated image produced by a sequence of + changing ASCII pictures. Animation speed depends on the system + you are on, and modem speed, if used. "ANSI" (American National + Standards Institute) escape sequences can be found in ASCII Art + Resources and ASCII Art Reference (the Web version of the FAQ). + +o Color Graphics - You can view color ASCII pics, if you have a + color screen and ANSI color compatible software. Check to see if + your software supports ANSI color, and how it is enabled. + +o Color Animation - For an example of color and animation together, + take a look at the file called "Vortex" in the Scarecrow's FTP + site. + + Examples are in ASCII Art Resources and ASCII Art Reference (the +Web version of the FAQ). + + + But wait, there are other kinds of ASCII art: + +o Overstrike Art - It contains carriage returns without line feeds + at times. The print head can overstrike a line on the paper that + has already been printed on. This allows for darkening, and for + placing different characters at the same place on the paper. This + kind of art is obviously only printed. + +o Srcoll Animation - This is an animation that is made to be viewed + by scrolling down. The image plays out as the screen is redrawn + with the next 'page' of the image. + + + + 5 What is the best way to view ASCII art? + + For best results in viewing ASCII art, try: + +o A 'non-proportional' font, also called a 'mono-spaced' font. This + is a font that displays the same number of characters per inch, no + matter what the actual width of the characters. If you are + viewing with a mono-spaced font, the two lines below should appear + the same length. + + iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii + MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM + + If they don't look the same length, try another font. Names to + look for on various systems include: Monaco, Courier, Courier New, + Video Terminal, System, TTY, VT100, Screen, Terminal, FixedSys, + Line Printer, etc. + + +o A small, say, 9 point font, will help to increase the apparent + resolution, and the illusion of gray scale images. + +o Viewing from a distance of a meter or more. + +o Using light characters on a dark background. Many ASCII pictures + are meant to be viewed light on dark. This allows the artist more + control over the light. Also, you see less glare than you would + from a light background. + + And in some instances: + +o While most gray scale pics are made to be viewed light characters + on a dark background, some will be made to view dark on light. + This is because they are meant to be printed with dark ink on + light paper. Use dark characters on a light background, or print + them out. + +o While most ASCII pics are made to be viewed on a monitor that + displays 80 characters across, some ASCII pics are wider, say, 81 + to 132 characters across. They are meant to be printed. Use a + small, say, 4 point type, and view dark on light, or print them + out. + +o While mast ASCII art is either ready to view, 'cat' or print, you + may find art that has been saved as a picture in a bitmap, EPS, + GIF, or other binary format. These must be viewed or printed with + the appropriate software. + + + There are a few important things to remember when making, viewing, +or talking about an ASCII art image. And they're obvious but almost +always forgotten. + +o Even though different fonts may all be mono-spaced, they ARE + different, and can make a picture LOOK different. Some artists + may mention the font the picture was made with. + +o A font may be serif or sans-serif (serifs are the little feet on + the characters). The ascenders and descenders may be straight or + curved. And characters may be wide or narrow. + +o The weight, or heaviness of characters can vary. Serifs can make + them look heavier. Often effected by weight inconsistencies are + symbols like: # $ @ + +o Shapes can vary too: + The more consistent shapes are: - / \ + The more inconsistent shapes are: ~ ^ * & | ' [ ] < > 0 l y + +o Fonts from different countries may have different characters in them. + Characters that may not appear in a font are: ^ ` # | { } ~ \ [ ] $ @ + +o Different systems display text differently. If you look at a + picture on a terminal at a Unix site, and then bring it home and + view it on a Mac, it will look different. On the Mac, it will be + displayed shorter top to bottom. In other words, it will have a + greater aspect ratio. Even though it contains the same number of + lines. + + See ASCII Art Resources and ASCII Art Reference (the Web version +of the FAQ) for an aspect ratio chart. + + + + 6 How can I learn to make ASCII art? + + Unfortunately, there aren't many text books on the subject. :-) A +good way to learn is to study how an artist has made a picture. +What characters are chosen. How are the characters laid out? How +is a texture made? + + You can also modify existing art. Take a piece of art you think +could be improved. Make a copy. Now work on it. When you are good +at that, try to improve a really good pic. Diddle a GIF conversion. +Then see if you can fix a damaged file. Now take some small pics +and put them together into a big composite image. + + + If you're working from scratch, the following may help you: + +o Decide what you want. Block out the sizes ond shapes of things so + you can get the proportions right. Do it now, not later, you'll + save work. + +o Add detail. Concentrate on the focal point and important parts of + your drawing. ASCII art is low definition, so you'll have to make + the pic big if you want detail or real smoothness. Take a tip + from master cartoonists, just try to suggest things, don't try to + replicate them. Too much detail can end up looking confusing. + +o One of the biggest helps is knowing how to shape things. For + example, you can curve a horizontal line with just: _ - " + + _____-------"""""""--------_____-------""""""" + +o Slanting vertical lines is easy. These four line are all made + with a few characters, like: / , _ - ' " + + / ,' ,-' ,_-'" + / ,' ,-' ,_-'" + / ,' ,-' ,_-'" + / ,' ,-' ,_-'" + / ,' ,-' ,_-'" + / ,' ,-' ,_-'" + +o Then there's smoothing, also called "anti-aliasing". This is + where special care is taken to use characters for their shapes. + With this technique, you can smooth out a font, or an object like + the one below. Notice how the sides on the object are curved + using: d b ( ) Y + + XXXX d88b + XXXXXXXX <- Turn this d888888b + XXXXXXXXXX (88888888) + XXXXXXXX Into this -> Y888888Y + XXXX Y88Y + + Popular fills are: 8 M H + +o Use areas of characters for patterns, tones, and contrast. For + example, in this flower, notice the density of the letters + subtlely change to form the petals. I would like to see this + colorized. + + . + .@. . + @m@,. .@ + .@m%nm@,. .@m@ + .@nvv%vnmm@,. .@mn%n@ + .@mnvvv%vvnnmm@,. .@mmnv%vn@, + @mmnnvvv%vvvvvnnmm@,. .@mmnnvvv%vvnm@ + @mmnnvvvvv%vvvvvvnnmm@, ;;;@mmnnvvvvv%vvvnm@, + `@mmnnvvvvvv%vvvvvnnmmm;;@mmnnvvvvvv%vvvvnmm@ + `@mmmnnvvvvvv%vvvnnmmm;%mmnnvvvvvv%vvvvnnmm@ + `@m%v%v%v%v%v;%;%;%;%;%;%;%%%vv%vvvvnnnmm@ + .,mm@@@@@mm%;;@@m@m@@m@@m@mm;;%%vvvnnnmm@;@,. + .,@mmmmmmvv%%;;@@vmvvvvvvvvvmvm@@;;%%vvnnm@;%mmm@, + .,@mmnnvvvvv%%;;@@vvvvv%%%%%%%vvvvmm@@;;%%mm@;%%nnnnm@, + .,@mnnvv%v%v%v%%;;@mmvvvv%%;*;*;%%vvvvmmm@;;%m;%%v%v%v%vmm@,. + ,@mnnvv%v%v%v%v%v%v%;;@@vvvv%%;*;*;*;%%vvvvm@@;;m%%%v%v%v%v%v%vnnm@, + ` `@mnnvv%v%v%v%%;;@mvvvvv%%;;*;;%%vvvmmmm@;;%m;%%v%v%v%vmm@' ' + `@mmnnvvvvv%%;;@@mvvvv%%%%%%%vvvvmm@@;;%%mm@;%%nnnnm@' + `@mmmmmmvv%%;;@@mvvvvvvvvvvmmm@@;;%%mmnmm@;%mmm@' + `mm@@@@@mm%;;@m@@m@m@m@@m@@;;%%vvvvvnmm@;@' + ,@m%v%v%v%v%v;%;%;%;%;%;%;%;%vv%vvvvvnnmm@ + .@mmnnvvvvvvv%vvvvnnmm%mmnnvvvvvvv%vvvvnnmm@ + .@mmnnvvvvvv%vvvvvvnnmm'`@mmnnvvvvvv%vvvnnmm@ + @mmnnvvvvv%vvvvvvnnmm@':%::`@mmnnvvvv%vvvnm@' + @mmnnvvv%vvvvvnnmm@'`:::%%:::'`@mmnnvv%vvmm@ + `@mnvvv%vvnnmm@' `:;%%;:' `@mvv%vm@' + `@mnv%vnnm@' `;%;' `@n%n@ + `@m%mm@' ;%;. `@m@ + @m@' `;%; `@ + `@' ;%;. ' Top portion of a + ` `;%; picture by Susie Oviatt. + + + Here are a few tips, that taken together, can make an instant +ASCII artist out of anybody: + +o A quick way to make a pic is to photocopy a drawing onto plastic. + Place the plastic over your monitor to act as a guide for placing + characters. + +o Ease your work by making a file full of lines of spaces. Now copy + that file. Open a copy and start working. You'll see that it's + easier because you can now go where you want and replace the + spaces with characters. You have eliminated endless space bar + pressing. Remember to strip all trailing spaces when you're done. + +o Use a mouse to move more quickly from character to character and + to delete bunches of characters and large numbers of lines. + +o To avoid variation in characters, weights, and shapes found between + different fonts, use the following characters: + / ! ( ) ? = + - _ : ; , . + +o Use 'block editing' if you can. Some software allows for a square + or rectangular chunk of text to be cut, copied and pasted. + +o It may be better to work on your own computer (if it has more + appropriate hardware and-ar software), and then upload it to your + host. + + Also, see Jorn's "asciitech" file, available at Jorn's FTP site +and Scarecrow's FTP, Gopher, WWW sites. + + + + 7 Are there any ASCII tools? + + Not many. The Emacs editor offers some help, if you know how to +use it. There are a couple of bits of Emacs code in the Scarecrow's +FTP site. EmacsMouseCode let's you draw with a mouse, and +EmacsFigletCode let's you use Figlet within Emacs. + + Q-Edit and "vedit" are ASCII editors with block cut and paste. +And TheDraw can do some ANSI tricks but is limited by RAM size. + + There are Unix and DOS scripts for flipping an ASCII pic (like +"modasc" by Ric Hotchkiss). BBSdraw is available for the Amiga. So +is CygnusEd, which allows column editing. And also the TPU editor +for VAX. And then there's "mdraw.el" for GNU Emacs 19 under X, that +lets you draw ASCII with a mouse. + + + + 8 Where can I get ASCII tools? + + You can get TheDraw at: + +-> Host: oak.oakland.edu + Path: pub/msdos/screen + File: tdraw463.zip + URL: ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/msdos/screen/tdraw463.zip + + You can get "mdraw.el" at: + +-> Host: ftp.cse.psu.edu + Path: pub/flee + File: mdraw.el + URL: ftp://ftp.cse.psu.edu/pub/flee/mdraw.el + + You can get Q-Edit at: + +-> Host: oak.oakland.edu + Path: /pub/msdos/qedit + URL: ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/msdos/qedit + + You can get Emacs Code at: + +-> Host: ftp.wwa.com + Address: 198.49.174.1 + Path: pub/Scarecrow/Info + URL: ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/Scarecrow/Info + + + + 9 Where can I find ASCII art? + + You can FTP and Gopher ASCII art (single pics and archives of +dozens or hundreds of images). FTP'ing is easy. Gophering is +easier. See Question 10 for further info. ASCII art is available +from many sites, including: + + +o FTP Sites: + + Scarecrow's ASCII Art FTP +-> Host: ftp.wwa.com + Address: 198.49.174.1 + Path: pub/Scarecrow + URL: ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/Scarecrow + Has Scarecrow's files, SAPs, animations, color, FAQs, Figlet, + gray scale converters, 'how-to' files, and more. + + See Question 11 for a table of all the Scarecrow's files, showing + file name, size (uncompressed), version, name it has at the + Scarecrow's FTP site, and the subject line for email requests. + +-> Host: mordor.ind.wpi.edu + Path: pub/ascii/art/pictures + URL: ftp://mordor.ind.wpi.edu/pub/ascii/art/pictures + + Jorn's FTP site +-> Host: ftp.mcs.com + Path: mcsnet.users/jorn/ascii-art + URL: ftp://ftp.mcs.com/mcsnet.users/jorn/ascii-art + Has Scarecrow's files, plus other ASCII art files, and the + technically oriented "asciitech.aa". + + Chris' FTP site +-> Host: ftp.ncsu.edu + Path: pub/ncsu/chking/Archive + URL: ftp://ftp.ncsu.edu/pub/ncsu/chking/Archive + Contains all the Scarecrow's files, all of Steve Sullivan's + files, and Gifscii for many systems. + +-> Host: ftp.netcom.com + Path: pub/vz/vzvz/asciiart + URL: ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/vz/vzvz/asciiart + +-> Host: tuda.newcastle.ac.uk + Path: pub/local/n1ka0/animation + URL: ftp://tuda.newcastle.ac.uk/pub/local/n1ka0/animation + Animations + +-> Host: mordor.ind.wpi.edu + Path: pub/ascii/art/movies + URL: ftp://mordor.ind.wpi.edu/pub/ascii/art/movies + Animations + +-> Host: ftp.uwp.edu + Path: pub/msdos/demos/ansi + URL: ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/msdos/demos/ansi + Color graphics + + +o Gopher Servers: + + ASCII Art Bazaar +-> Host: twinbrook.cis.uab.edu + Items: 11, 1 + Over 12 megabytes, thousands of pieces in many categories. + + Scarecrow's ASCII Art Gopher +-> Host: gopher.wwa.com + Items: 3 + URL: gopher://gopher.wwa.com/11/ascii + Has Scarecrow's files, SAPs, animations, color, FAQs, + Figlet, gray scale converters, 'how-to' files, and more. + Everything the FTP site has is available from the Gopher, + with friendlier menus. + + TTU Gopher +-> Host: gopher.cs.ttu.edu + Items: 7, 1 + URL: + gopher://gopher.cs.ttu.edu:70/11/Art%20and%20Images/ClipArt%20%28ASCII%29 + + Stanford Gopher +-> Host: medmail.Stanford.EDU + Items: 2, 1 + URL: gopher://medmail.Stanford.EDU/11/other.stuff/pictures/ + + +o World Wide Web: + + Scarecrow's WWW Link +-> URL: http://miso.wwa.com/~boba/scarecrow.html + Gateway to the wold of ASCII art, with links to everything. + + Chris' WWW Page +-> URL: http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/users/c/chking/HTML/HTMLs/ascii.html + +-> URL: ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/vz/vzvz/WWW/homepage.html + + +o Mailing list: + + ASCII Art listserv list +-> Address: listserv@ukcc.uky.edu + Message: subscribe asciiart + + +o FTP Mail Servers: + +-> Address: ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com + Message: help + +-> Address: ftpmail@sunsite.unc.edu + Message: help + +-> Address: bitftp@pucc.bitnet + Message: help + + + 10 How do I use FTP, Gopher, World Wide Web, and FTP Mail Servers? + + The following instructions are for most Unix based, live InterNet +sites. If you are not on a live wire, you can still access FTP +sites. See the section below on 'How to use FTP Mail Servers'. + + If you're on a commercial service, or other non-Unix based system, +ask your sysadmin or service representative for information on +obtaining files. If you are using InterNet software on your own +computer via a PPP or SLIP connection, I assume you don't need my +instructions. + + + How to read a URL (Uniform Resource Locator): + + ftp://ftp.ncsu.edu/pub/ncsu/chking/Archive/Funnies + |_| |__________| |_____________________| |_____| + | | | | + Connect Method Host Name Folder Path File Name + + Note: The connect method (the protocol> could also be "gopher" or +"http" (http indicates a WWW page). Also, a URL my not have a file +name at the end, but may just point to a folder. It may not even +have a folder path, pointing only to a site. + + WWW URLs usually end with a file having a ".html" extension. And +Web pages can also be stored on, and accessed from, FTP and Gopher +sites. + + + How to FTP: + + If you have FTP at your site, and you want to FTP over to say, +Chris King's FTP site, you would, at the prompt: + +o Type: ftp ftp.ncsu.edu + + Notice that "ftp" was typed twice. The first is the command, the + second is a port of the address. If you're already at an FTP + prompt: + + Type: open ftp.ncsu.edu + +o When the connection opens, it'll ask for your name. This is + 'anonymous FTP' so: + + Type: anonymous + +o When you're asked for a password: + + Type: Your email address + + You should be in. + +o Now, to 'Change Directory' to Chris' ASCII art folder: + + Type: cd pub/ncsu/chking/Archive + +o Now to list the folder's contents: + + Type: ls + +o Let's say you want a file called "Funnies", you would: + + Type: get Funnies + + The file will be transfered to the host you FTP'd from, in the folder + you were in when you started that FTP session. + +o When you're done: + + Type: bye + + It will say goodbye and quit. + + You may have to decompress or uudecode the file first. See +Question 20 on how to do that. Now you can view or download the +file from your host. For how to view animations and color pics, see +Question 21. + + Two helpful things. Type "cd .." to go back out of a folder. +Type "pwd" ('Print Working Directory') to see where you are. + + + How to Gopher: + + Gopher is easy. Say you want to check out the Bazaar. You would: + +o Type: gopher twinbrook.cis.uab.edu + +o Use the up and down arrow keys or number keys to pick the menu + item you want. + +o Use the right arrow (or return key) to enter a selection, and the + left arrow to back out. + +o In this case we pick "The Continuum", which is #11, and press the + right arrow or return. + +o After we enter The Continuum, we see the ASCII Art Bazaar, so we + pick it (it's #1) and press the right arrow or return. + + Once in the Bazaar, you can browse the menus and view the art on +screen without having to download anything just to see it. + + + How to use the World Wide Web: + + Using the World Wide Web is as easy as Gopher. For example, let's +say you want to check out the Scarecrow's WWW Link, you would do the +following on a live Net site using lynx: + +o Type: lynx http://miso.wwa.com/~boba/scarecrow.html + +o Use the up and down arrow keys to select what you want to see. + +o Use the right arrow (or return key) to enter a selection, and the + left arrow to back out. + + You can do as with Gopher, but you can also access links to FTP, +Gopher and WWW sites. For example, there are links that will take +you to Chris King's Web archive of ASCII art, the Figlet server, the +Bazaar, Joshua Bell's Star Trek ASCII art site, and practically +everything in the ASCII art world. + + Important Note: You can use a Web browser to access FTP sites, to +avoid logging in, and commands. For example, say you're using lynx, +and you want to go to the Scarecrow's FTP site, you would type, at +the prompt: + + lynx ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/Scarecrow + + As you can see, it's just "lynx" plus the URL for the site. You +can do this with any FTP site, just type "lynx ftp://" plus the +address/path, and you in like Flynn. + + + Note: When using FTP, Gopher, WWW, or other live Net services, try +to find files at sites that are close to you before accessing more +distant locations. Also, try to use these services at off-peak +hours, to not slow down the official operations of a school or +business. And send a thank you note to the admins of sites you have +used and benefitted from. + + + How to use FTP Mail Servers: + + If you don't have FTP access, you can use an FTP Mail Server. +There are a few listed in the answer to Question 9. To use them +send a message to any of the listed addresses with "help" as the +message. Here is an example of how to use ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com: + +o Address a message to: ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com + +o Leave the subject blank. + + In the message: + +o Type: connect ftp.wwa.com + + The hostname could be any available host. + +o Type: chdir pub/Scarecrow + + Changes directory (folder) to the Scarecrow's ASCII art folder. + The folder name could be any existing folder. + +o Type: binary + + For programs and compressed files. + + OR + + Type: ascii + + For text files, uuencoded files, etc. + +o Type: get MORE + + Transfers the flie called "MORE" to your computer. The name could + be the name of any existing file in that folder. + +o Type: quit + +o Send the email message + + + Your message will be acknowledged. It will be given a number +which you should save in case of a problem. Within a day or two you +should recieve either a file or an error message. If you get an +error, make sure the following are correct: host name, pathname, +filename, commands, cAsE. + + + + 11 What does the Scarecrow recommend? + + The Scarecrow's recommendations: + +o If you're short on disk space, I would suggest you save this FAQ + and get just those files containing the type(s) of art you are + interested in. + +o If you have a bit more disk space, you may want to get the Best of + the Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive, and the ASCII Art Reference + file. And select a number of files from Steve Sullivan's Small + ASCII Pics. + +o If you have some disk space to spare, you should get all of the + SAAAs, and the ASCII Art Resources file. You can also get all of + Steve's Small ASCII Pics. Megabytes of art. With the SAAAs, AAR, + and SAPs, you'll be an ASCII art expert and collector, instantly! + + Disk space is often limited, so store ASCII art compressed (it +should compress 3:1). View it when it's compressed by typing: "zcat +filename | more" for .Z and "gzcat filename | more" for .gz files. + + + 12 Is it OK to copy ASCII art? + + ASCII art that is posted is considered copyrighted by the poster. +But since the post goes around the world, and copyright laws vary, +you'd have trouble enforcing it in some places. The correct thing +to do is ask permission before using a piece. + + + 13 How do I make those big letters? + + You can make lettering like the above subtitle "ANSWERS" by hand, +or use a program called Figlet. With Figlet, the letters you type +are automatically turned into big letters. Figlet stands for Frank, +Ian and Glenn's LETters. ^ +^ ^ ^^^ + Figlet is available for use on some host systems. If it is not, +you can obtain Figlet and fonts from the sites listed in Question +14. There are about 100 fonts for use with Figlet. Figlet fonts +have a .flf suffix. Figlet is currently in version 2.1, available +for Unix, DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST. + + There are a number of examples of Figlet fonts in the ASCII Art +Resources and ASCII Art Reference (the Web version of the FAQ). +You'll also find info on Figlet utilities, methods of feeding Figlet +output to files, modifying Figlet output, and a vi macro. + + Some other hosts have a program called "Banner" which performs a +similar function. + + + + 14 Where can I get Figlet? + + You can get Figlet, fonts, and utilities from: + + +o FTP Sites: + + Official Figlet Site +-> Host: ftp.nicoh.com + Path: pub/figlet + URL: ftp://ftp.nicoh.com/pub/figlet + + Scarecrow's FTP Site +-> Host: ftp.wwa.com + Path: pub/Scarecrow/Figlet + URL: ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/Scarecrow/Figlet + Has Figlet, utilities, and all the fonts I've found. + Also accessible through the Scarecrow's Gopher and WWW sites. + If you have any Figlet fonts that are not on my site, please put + them in my incoming FTP folder. Thank you. + +-> Host: ftp.netcom.com + Path: pub/vz/vzvz/asciiart/fonts + URL: ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/vz/vzvz/asciiart/fonts + Fonts only. + + +o Figlet WWW Server: + + -> URL: http://www.inf.utfsm.cl/cgi-bin/figlet + + +o Figlet Mail Server: + +-> Address: figlet@ottime.chi.il.us + Message: HELP + + +o Figlet WWW Home Page: + + -> URL: http://math.uiuc.edu/~chappell/figlet + + +o Figlet Mailing List: + +-> Address: listserv@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu + Message: SUBSCRIBE FIGLET-L + Receive fonts, update notes, and Figlet chat. Run by Ian Chai. + + + + 15 How can I make Gray Scale pictures? + + You can make them from scratch if you are a very good ASCII +artist. An easier way is to use a converter program. There's +ASCGIF, Gifscii (with versions for many systems), ANSIrez, +"ansicv22", GIF2ANSI, and "gif2txt" for the PC. + + There's also the HyperCard stack called "asciipicter". It allows +you to draw a picture, and convert it to ASCII art. This is for the +Macintosh. + + These programs make an ASCII pic from any GIF (Graphics +Interchange Format) image (or image you can convert to a GIF). Most +converters require the GIF to be in 87a format. GIFs in 89a format, +must be converted to 87a format first. + + The exception to the GIF converters is a bitmap converter for +Windows called Pixel Characterizer (version 0.5) by Shi Y Chen. + + + + 16 Where can I get Gray Scale converters? + + You can get Gifscii for many systems, and the source code from: + + +o FTP Sites: + + Chris' FTP site +-> Host: ftp.ncsu.edu + Path: pub/ncsu/chking/Archive + URL: ftp://ftp.ncsu.edu/pub/ncsu/chking + + Scarecrow's FTP Site +-> Host: ftp.wwa.com + Path: pub/Scarecrow/Gifscii + URL: ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/Scarecrow/Gifscii + Also accessible through the Scarecrow's Gopher and WWW sites. + + Both Chris' and Scarcecrow's sites have Gifscii 2.2 for + MSDOS, Unix (Sun), Macintosh, Amiga, Digital Alpha, + Digital VAX, as well as the c-source code. Scarecrow's + site also has "ansicv22.zip", "ansirez1.zip", and + "asciipicter.sit.hqx" (HyperCard stack). + + + You can get ASCGIF from: + +o FTP Sites: + +-> Host: usc.edu + Path: archive/usenet/sources/comp.sources.misc/volume30/ascgif +URL: ftp://usc.edu/archive/usenet/sources/comp.sources.misc/volume30/ascgif + + Scarecrow's FTP Site +-> Host: ftp.wwa.com + Path: pub/Scarecrow/Misc + URL: ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/Scarecrow/Misc + Also accessible through the Scarecrow's Gopher and WWW sites. + +-> Host: wuarchive.wustl.edu + Path: usenet/comp.sources.misc/volume30/ascgif + URL: ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/usenet/comp.sources.misc/volume30/ascgif + + + You can get GIF2ANSI and "gif2txt" from: + +o BBS Sites: + +-> BBS: Exec-PC (414) 789-4210 + File: GIF2ANSI.ZIP, in the "Mahoney MS-DOS" file collection. + +-> BBS: Aquila BBS (708) 820-8344] + File: gif2txt.zip + + + You can get the GDS GIF-JPEG to ANSI (for DOS) at: + +o FTP Sites: + + -> Host: ftp.netcom.com + Path: pub/ph/photodex + File: gds31d.zip + URL: ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/ph/photodex/gds31d.zip + + -> Host: oak.oakland.edu + Path: SimTel/msdos/graphics + File: gds31d.zip + URL: ftp://oak.oakland.edu/SimTel/msdos/graphics/gds31d.zip + + + 17 How can I make better Gray Scale conversions? + + Most of us start out thinking that you just put a GIF into a +converter program and out comes a perfect ASCII pic. Would you +believe ... there are some things you can do to improve the chances +of getting a good conversion. + + The following is not a complete list, but it is what I have +learned in making many conversions: + +o Use an 8 bit gray scale or color image instead of a 2 bit B&W image. + +o Use an image with a wide, even distribution of tones. + +o Keep it simple, like a face or close-up of an object. + +o Avoid busy backgrounds. With exceptions, avoid bright backgrounds. + +o Use an image that is tightly cropped, without a lot of waste. + +o Be prepared to quickly run through a series of conversions. You + will probably not like 9 to 11 out of 12. + +o It helps to do touch-up work on the converted picture. + Concentrate on the focal points and important areas of the + picture. + + + 18 What do those filename extensions mean? + + A file may have some of the following elements in its name: + + +File name (a file may Usually implies "uu" or "uue" for uuencode, +have a different name ____ a color pic. __ "xx" or "xxe" for xxencode. +after uudecoding). | | | + | | | + filename.vt.ansi.tar.Z.uu + | | | +Usally implies animation. ___| | |__ For Unix Compress, may also + | be .gz, .zip, etc. A .zip +Tape ARchive format may contain ______| file may contain more than +more than one file. Must be 'untarred'. one file, must be 'unzipped'. + + + For further information, on how to save, uncompress, untar, unzip, +and view files, see Questions 20 and 21. + + + + 19 What is 'uuencoding'? + + Color graphics and animations must be processed to change the +control codes to regular printable ASCII characters before they can +be sent as text (which any information service can handle). This +processing is called 'uuencoding'. + + The file is processed back again after it is received. This is +called 'uudecoding'. See Question 20 on how to save and 'uudecode' +a file, and Question 21 on how to view animations and color images. +A uuencoded file may look like: + + +permission mode _______ ______ file name to be given to decoded file + | | +begin line ____ begin 644 filename + M;2XN+BXN+R\N+B\O+BXN+BXN+R\N+B\O+BXO+RXO+RXN+B\ON+B\O+BXN +encoded data __ M"AM;-#LV2"`@("`@+R`@7`H;6S$[,3%("AM;,CLQ,4@@("`@<("\*&ULS + ` +end line ______ end + + + + 20 How do I save, 'uudecode' and uncompress a file? + + Type the name of the file where I have "filename". On a Unix +system, the process is usually as easy as: + + + To save a file: + + + In most newsreaders, you: + +o Type: s filename (or a full pathname) + + + In Elm: + +o Type: s + + You'll get a "save file to" prompt. + +o Type: filename (or a full pathname) + + In Pine: + +o Type: s + + You'll be asked for a folder name. Pine's 'folder' is a text file. + +o Type: filename (or a full pathname) + + + To uudecode a file: + +o Type: uudecode filename + + This may change the resulting file's name. + + + To uncompress a file: + + + For a .Z (Unix compress) file: + +o Type: uncompress filename + + For a .gz (GZip) file: + +o Type: gunzip filename + + + Sometimes a number of files will come packed together in a .zip or +.tar file. You need to unzip or untar it. You will end up with a +number of files. + + For a .zip file: + +o Type: unzip filename + + + For a .tar file: + +o Type: tar -xvf filename + + To just read the contents of a .tar file: + +o Type: tar -tvf filename + + +o On a DOS machine, to uncompress a .Z file, you'll need comp430d from: + +-> Host: oak.oakland.edu + Path: pub/msdos/compress + File: comp430d.zip + URL: ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/msdos/compress/comp430d.zip + + + To uuencode a file, use the following syntax at the prompt: + + + The uuencode The file you Writes resulting uuencoded + command. want to uuencode. file to the last filename. + | | | + uuencode filename filename > filename + | | +Name to be put on the 'begin' line of the Name of the file that will be +resulting uuencoded file. This name will written to disk so as to not +be given to the file when it is uudecoded. overwrite the original file. + + + To compress a file: + + For Unix compress: + +o Type: compress filename + + For Gzip: + +o Type: gzip filename + + + To zip compress a number of files into one .zip file, use the following +syntax at the prompt: + + zip filename.zip filename1 filename2 filename3 + | | |______|______| + Command. Name for file. Files to be zipped, can be any number. + + + For info on viewing animations and color images, see Question 21. + + + + 21 How do I view animations and color images? + + Type the name of the file where I have "filename". On a Unix +system, the process is usually as easy as: + + + To view an animation or color pic: + +o Type: cat filename + + You can view a compressed file without decompressing it. + + To view a .Z compressed file: + +o Type: zcat filename + + To view a .gz compressed file: + +o Type: gzcat filename + + + To slow down an animation: + +o Type: cat -u filename + + Note: Host system speed, terminal speed, and modem speed all +affect animation speed. To view color, you need a color screen and +ANSI color capable software. + + See ASCII Art Resources and ASCII Art Reference (the Web version +of the FAQ) for info on programs to slow animations, and how to view +animations that you have downloaded to your PC or Amiga. + + + + 22 How do I put an animation in my plan? + + On most Unix systems: + +o Name the file you want to be used as: .plan + +o Put it in the top level of your home folder. + +o Make your home folder 'world readable' by typing: chmod 711 . + +o Make your plan world readable by typing: chmod 644 .plan + + It does not work with all finger commands. Many systems will +munch anything except CR and LF. To test your 'planimation', finger +your account with your full address, not just your login. For +example, type "finger foo@bar.edu" and not "finger foo". + + Putting an animation in your plan is not universally recommended. + + + + 23 How do I make a sig? + + There are no rules for making sigs. Most sigs contain items like: + +o Name, nickname. +o Email and mail addresses. +o ASCII art pics, borders. +o Work and school names, disclaimer. +o Phone, fax, and pager numbers, PINs. +o Quotes and jokes from the poster and other people. +o Info about the poster's .plan, FTP site, WWW home page, PGP key. + + You might simply 'Figletize' your name, pop in your addy and a +pic, and presto, instant sig: + + + | 'Go Johnny Go' || ___| johnsmith@foo.bar.edu + | | || / _) | | + | _ __ __ \||/ __ __ `__ | __| __ + \ | ( | | | | | /()\ | | | | | | | | + ___/ ___/ _| _| _| _| \__/ _____/ _| _| _| _| __| _| _| + + + If you're going to have your sig automatically included in your +posts and email, remember that some systems only allow up to 4 lines +in the sig. For info on how to have your sig automatically +included, see Question 24. + + If you want to use a larger sig on systems that only allow 4 +lines, you will have to insert it manually. On most Unix based +systems, using pico editor, press control-r when you want to insert +the sig, and then type the name (or full pathname) of the file to be +inserted, using vi, ex, ed, the command is ":r ", using +emacs, it's control-x control-r . + + Speaking of sig length, there is a rule of thumb of 4 to 6 lines. +Try to keep sigs around this length for posts, reserving the long +ones for email, and post to the ASCII art groups. + + + + 24 How do I have my sig automatically added to my posts and email? + + On a Unix system, the process is usually as easy as: + + For posts: + + If you are using most newsreaders: + +o Name the file you want to be used as ".signature" + +o Put it in the top level of your home folder. + + Your news software should pick it up. Note: some systems are set + up to allow only four lines in a posted sig. + + If you are using tin: + +o Make a folder in the top level of your home folder called ".Sig". + +o Fill it with sigs. + + The files in that folder will be used randomly by tin when + selecting a sig for your post. You can call the folder something + other than ".Sig", but you must change the 'signature path' line + in your tinrc in your .tin folder. + + To have a file included above your random sig: + +o Make a file in the top level of your home folder called ".sigfixed". + + + For email: + +o Name the file you want to be used as ".signature" + +o Put it in the top level of your home folder. + + If you have done this for the above use in news posts, you need +to, in additon, do one of the following: + + + If you're using Elm for your email, and elm doesn't pick up your sig: + +o You need to put the following in ypur elmrc: + + localsignature = ~/.signature + remotesignature = ~/.signature + + If you don't have an elmrc yet: + +o Open Elm + +o Press the 'o' key to get to the options screen. + +o Press the '>' to save your configuration. + +o Press 'i' to go back to the index. + +o Quit. + + This will create the elmrc file in the .elm folder. + + + If you're using Pine (with Pico) for your email: + +o Place the following in your .pinerc file: + + signature-file=~/.signature + + + If you're using vm (in emacs) for your email: + +o Place the following in your .emacs file: + + (setq mail-signature t) + + + Note about sig usage: Try to use short sigs for posts to +newsgroups. If you have any long sigs, try to only use them for +email and posts to the ASCII art groups. + + + + 25 What should I know about posting ASCII Art? + + You can post any of the following types of ASCII art to +rec.arts.ascii or alt.ascii-art or alt.binaries.pictures.ascii +groups: + +o All forms of ASCII art including: + - Standard ASCII art (line pics, 3-D, oversize printer art, GIFs, etc). + - Non-standard ASCII art (animations, color pics, color animations). +o Discussion about pieces of art. +o Requests for specific pieces of art, and their fulfillment. +o Questions and answers covering: + - Creating and viewing ASCII art. + - Locating FTP sites for ASCII art and related files. +o Dicussion about artists in the field. + + Animations can also be posted to alt.ascii-art.animation. 3-D art +can also be posted to alt.3d. + + + To make it easier for everybody, please put one of the following +Subject IDs at the beginning of the subject line of your post: + + Line - Standard ASCII line art. Line pictures and large lettering. + GIF - Gray scale image. +Animation - Animation. Usually uuencoded. + Color - ANSI Color image. Usually uuencoded. + 3-D - Three dimensional art. + Font - Alphabets and Figlet fonts. + Binary - Binaries (software like Figlet and Gifscii). Usually uuencoded. + Big - Wider than 80 columns and-or longer than 24 lines). + + Repost - Repost of a previously posted pic, not new art. + Request - Request for a picture, Figletized name, sig, etc. + + Talk - General discussion, no pics included. + Question - A question concerning any of the ASCII art topics. + Answer - An answer to a question asked by a poster. + Info - Web URLs, email addresses, Gopher and FTP sites, font lists,etc + Announce - Announcements of events, new sites, Web pagse, etc. + + FAQ - Used for the weekly posting of Frequently Asked Questions + + If you are following up a post, please change the Subject ID to +reflect the contents of the post. This way if you are fulfilling a +request, change: + + Request: Marilyn Monroe + TO + GIF: Marilyn Monroe + + This allows readers the option of reading the group in a +newsreader's selector, sorted by articles. They can then read only +what is of interest to them, trusting the IDs to accurately identify +the contents. Some people do not have the time (or money if they +are paying by the hour or byte) to read everything in every group +they like. + + + Here are some guidelines: + + + Posting to the ASCII groups: + +o If someone requests a picture only days after it has been posted, + and you would like to fill that request, please email the picture + to the person requesting it. It's better than reposting so soon. + +o Try to eliminate unnecessary blank space to the left of the pic, + and trailing space to the right. This reduces waste. + +o If you're posting a collection of pics, try to keep each pic on + its own lines (and separated from other pics by a couple of + lines). + +o Replace tabs with spaces. Otherwise tab damage can occur. + + + When following up an article: + +o Read all the articles in a thread before posting. Most + newsreaders will let you re-read news you've already seen. + +o Decide whether it's better to post or email your message. + +o Check the attributions. + +o Try to keep quoted materials to a minimum. + +o Summarize where possible. + +o Change the Subject ID. + + + Most general guidelines for posting apply here too: + +o Try to stay on topic (ASCII art). It's easy to get sidetracked + into other things, especially when a cross-posted thread gets + going. + +o If you disagree with someone, disagree with their words, don't +flame them. + +o Ask permission before quoting somebody's email message. + +o Type your post in upper-and-lower case. ALL UPPER CASE IS HARD TO READ. + +o Cross-post an article instead of posting it separately to many + newsgroups. You cross-post by adding group names to the + "Newsgroups:" line in the header (if you are using the editor in a + newsreader). Or by typing names when prompted in "Pnews". + + When you cross-post, only one copy is sent around. And only one + copy is kept on each machine. And as a reader, you only see the + cross-posted article once, no matter how many groups it was cross- + posted to. + + + If you're a new reader: + +o Read the ASCII groups for a week or two to familiarize yourself + with them before posting. + + + If you're a new user: + +o Familiarize yourself with newsgroups, their customs, terminology + and abbreviations. Check out the guidelines, posted in the + newsgroups news.announce.newusers and news.newusers.questions. + + One exception to the usual rules is the use of sigs. Because the +groups rec.arts.ascii, alt.ascii-art and alt.binaries.pictures.ascii +are about ASCII art, it is within the scope of these groups to post +longer sigs. + + + Be an Art Detective. + + Let's say you're reading another group, say, rec.nonsense, and +while reading the posts, you see a pic or sig. You would like an +easy way to show it to us on rec.arts.ascii, without saving it, +quiting from rec.nonsense, going to rec.arts.ascii, starting a post, +inserting the pic or sig, quiting your newsreader, deleting it, etc. + + It's easy to be an Art Detective. While in the original newsgroup: + +o Follow-up the article, making sure it is quoted. + +o Replace any newsgroups named in the "Newsgroups:" with "rec.arts.ascii". + +o Delete all extraneous materials from the post, leaving the pic or sig. + +o Add any commentary you think appropriate. + +o Send it. + + + + 26 Where is this FAQ available? + + Tha FAQ is available from newsgroups, FTP, Gopher, WWW, finger: + + +o Newsgroups: + + rec.arts.ascii, + alt.ascii-art, alt.binaries.pictures.ascii, alt.ascii-art.animation + comp.graphics, news.answers, alt.answers, rec.answers, comp.answers + + +o FTP Sites: + +-> Host: ftp.wwa.com + Path: pub/Scarecrow + File: FAQ + URL: ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/Scarecrow/FAQ + +-> Host: rtfm.mit.edu + Path: pub/usenet-by-group/rec.arts.ascii + File: FAQ_-_ASCII_Art_Questions_&_Answers_(*.*_-_*_K) + URL: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/rec.arts.ascii + +-> Host: src.doc.ic.ac.uk + Path: pub/usenet/news.answers/rec.arts.ascii + File: FAQ_-_ASCII_Art_Questions_&_Answers_(*.*_-_*_K) + URL: ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/pub/usenet/news.answers/rec.arts.ascii + + +o Gopher Servers: + +-> Hast: gopher.wwa.com + Items: 3, 3 + +-> Hast: jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca + Items: 10, 12, 1 + +-> Host: cc1.kuleuven.ac.be + Items: 3, 3, 858 + + +o World Wide Web: + + -> URL: http://miso.wwa.com/~boba/scarecrow.html + Select: ASCII ART FAQ (this file) + Select: ASCII Art Resources (text version with samples of everything) + Select: ASCII Art Reference (Web version with links to everything) + + +o Finger by typing the following at a prompt on mony sites: + + finger asciifaq@wwa.com (turn on text capture first) + OR + finger asciifaq@wwa.com | more (you can read it a page at a time) + OR + finger asciifaq@wwa.com > faq (saves it to a file called 'faq') + + + + 27 Who made this FAQ? + + It is made by your old friend, the Scarecrow. Materials for the +ASCII ART FAQ, ASCII Art Resources and ASCII Art Reference (the Web +version of the FAQ) were gratefully received from the following nice +people: + + + JORN BARGER _______________________ + ROWAN CRAWFORD / \ + NORMAND VEILLEUX | That's all folks! | + GLEN A MILLER | See ASCII Art Resources | + JUDY ANDERSON | and ASCII Art Reference | + MICHAEL A GODIN | for many examples. | + STEVEN M SULLIVAN \__ __________________/ + LARS ARONSSON | / + CHRIS PIRILLO |/ + CHEVALIER / + Q ALEX ZHAO + DOV SHERMAN + GREG GULIK + A RICH + C GROOM + MATT RYAN + FELIX LEE + DAVE VRONA + PAUL KLINE + R L SAMUELL + DANNI BAUER + NICK RUSNOV + DON BERTINO + TODD D HALE + JOHN PAYSON + PAUL FAWCETT + MATT MESSINA + SUSIE OVIATT + RICHARD KIRK + SIMON BRADLEY + PAUL FOERSTER + RIC HOTCHKISS + WINSTON SMITH + O'NEIL PARKER +GLENN CHAPPELL +DANIEL HOLDREN +DAVID CONNELLY +OTTO J. MAKELA +JOEL ROTHSCHILD +BENJAMIN THOMAS +BRIAN DEVENDORF +EVAN M CORCORAN +MEINDERT DE JONG +MATT E THURSTON +CHRISTOPHER KING +JONATHAN PETERSON +RUDRIK GREYSHADOW + + +__________________________________________________________________________ + + + Version: 4.9.2 + Released: April 9, 1996 + + +|| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || + END O F T H E A S C I I A R T FAQ +|| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || + +File: academy/faqs/faq_barger.txt +http://www.ascii-art.de/info/faq_barger.txt + +From: cfbd@southern.co.nz (Colin Douthwaite) + +============================================================================ + + ASCII ART FAQ by Jorn Barger 11 December 1993 + +============================================================================ + + +ASCII ART FAQ +by Jorn Barger + +Purpose: to promote more creative use of the ASCII character set on +Internet, especially for _page layout_ and _animation_, and the +development and distribution of tools to facilitate this. + +Justification: Ascii art will continue to be the appropriate, +populist technology for graphics on Internet, for some years to +come... so we might as well get good at it! (There's still lots of +untapped potential...) + +There's such a range of newsreading environments, that few of the +ideas offered here will work the same for everyone. If we want to do +this right, we need to get a sense of where these differences are +most serious. (White-on-black displays vs b-on-w, for one...) + + +****************** + Contents of FAQ: +****************** + +- Samples of page-layout and animation +- The ASCII character set: problems and potential +- The line-draw character palette +- Line-draw ascii fonts +- Esthetics: texture, gesture +- Greyscale character palettes +- ASCII anti-aliasing +- An 'asciify' algorithm for anti-aliasing pbm bitmaps, with sample + +This last topic may have the most *practical* utility-- it should +allow archives of GIFs and JPEGs to offer compact catalogs of +thumbnails *in the form of simple text files*. + +Thruout the faq, I'll be raising questions about things I don't +know, that I'd like to be able to answer in future updates. +Feedback is *very* welcome. + + +Here's some samples of ascii page-layout: + + + 1 9 9 3 + +The central |"| +bargraph shows >>>>>>>> |m| < =--------- +the total |m| 1 This rightmost bargraph, +number of |"| |m| < . turned sideways, shows +newsgroups, | | < |m| 2 . the *distribution* of daily +log 10 | | 9 |m| < . volume for all newsgroups. +(groups_total) | | < |m| 3 ] (msgs_per_group) +(~5000) | | < |m| < ] + |m| 6 | | 4 ]] Here, most newsgroups are + >>>>> |m| < | | < ]] still way under 100 msgs +This leftmost |m| < | | 5 ]]]] per day. One group in ten +bargraph is |m| 3 | | < ]]]]]]] tops this level. +a logarithmic |m| < | | 6 =--------- +display of |m| < |_| 0 100 200 +total Usenet |m| 0 msgs/day/group +readership, |_| +(subs_total) 5000 groups +(~1,000,000) 1 million readers + + + + 1 9 8 8 1 9 9 3 1 9 9 8: the nightmare? +(wild guesses) + |"| |"| |"| + |m| < =--------- |m| < =--------- |m| < =--------- + |m| 1 |m| 1 |m| 1 ] +|"| |m| < |"| |m| < . |"| |m| < ]] +| | < |m| 2 | | < |m| 2 . | | < |m| 2 ]] +| | 9 |m| < . | | 9 |m| < . | | 9 |m| < ]] +| | < | | 3 . | | < |m| 3 ] |m| < |m| 3 ]] +| | < | | < . | | < |m| < ] |m| < |m| < ]]] +| | 6 | | 4 ] |m| 6 | | 4 ]] |m| 6 |m| 4 ]]]] +| | < | | < ] |m| < | | < ]] |m| < |m| < ]]]]]] +|m| < | | 5 ]] |m| < | | 5 ]]]] |m| < | | 5 ]]]]]]]] +|m| 3 | | < ]]]] |m| 3 | | < ]]]]]]] |m| 3 | | < ]]]]]]]]] +|m| < | | 6 =--------- |m| < | | 6 =--------- |m| < | | 6 =--------- +|m| < |_| 0 100 200 |m| < |_| 0 100 200 |m| < |_| 0 100 200 +|m| 0 msgs/day/group |m| 0 |m| 0 +|_| |_| |_| + 500 groups 5000 groups 50,000 groups??? +100,000 readers 1 million readers 100 million readers + + +Current editors/ word processors assume that you want your text +elements to hug the left margin, effectively a 'sideways gravity' +that must be carefully counteracted. It's easy to screw up (which +the warlorders call 'tabdamage'). If your wp offers typeover-mode, +that's likely to work better than insert-mode, for preventing +tabdamage. + +Here's a primitive animation (that also illustrates the use of +lineweight to simulate depth). The protagonist is just a circle +with a heavy ascii lineweight, abstractly representing a character +named Joy Hoy: + + _+m"m+_ + Jp qh + O O + Yb dY + "Y5m2Y" + +The faster your modem, the nicer this works: + + +========================================================================== + . + :: + :: .. : + . .::::.: :: + - :. :':::::.:::: /-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/ + | :':'::.::::::.: - . , . . . + | \- - :''::':'::: ... _/ | . . <^o^o^^o^> . . + | ] \- -::'::'::.::/ | . <^o^^o^^o^^o^> , + | : ..\:::':'::/ | . . <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> . + | ] : .. _ -=_ | , H.:. /.../..:H . . + | ] : ./ \ | . . . I://.//./ /::I , + | ] :/ \ | . H:.: /.//...:H .. + | ] / / \ \ | :. I.:/.//.//..:I .: . + _+m"m+_ | ]/ / \ | . , H:../// /./::H . .. + Jp qh | / \ \ | ., . I./:/../// .:I , . , + O O ___|/ / \ \|____;__H:. ////:/./:H_________ + Yb dY + "Y5m2Y" / +__________________ / __________ + _______"_____ =======_=======_===_===__________ +========================================================================== + +========================================================================== + . + :: + :: .. : + . .::::.: :: + - :. :':::::.:::: /-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/ + | :':'::.::::::.: - . , . . . + | \- - :''::':'::: ... _/ | . . <^o^o^^o^> . . + | ] \- -::'::'::.::/ | . <^o^^o^^o^^o^> , + | : ..\:::':'::/ | . . <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> . + | ] : .. _ -=_ | , H.:.//... ..:H . . + | ] : ./ \ | . . . I://.//. //::I , + | ] :/ \ | . H:.://.//...:H .. + ] / / \ \ | :. I.:/./ .//..:I .: . + _+m"m+_ / / \ | . , H:../////./::H . .. + Jp qh J888888888888h | ., . I./:/../ //.:I , . , + ______ O O / 88 \\\ \ \ \ 88 |____;__H:.// //:/./:H_________ + Yb dY 88 \\\\\\ \\\ \ 88 + "Y5m2Y" / 8 \\\\\\\\\\ \\ 8 + _________________ / J888888888888888888h __________ + ______"______ 8OO8XX [YBNNDY] XX8OO8 ==_======_====_===__________ +========================================================================== + +========================================================================== + . + :: + :: .. : + . .::::.: :: + - :. :':::::.:::: /-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/ + | :':'::.::::::.: - . , . . . + | \- - :''::':'::: ... _/ | . . <^o^o^^o^> . . + | ] \- -::'::'::.::/ | . <^o^^o^^o^^o^> , + | : ..\:::':'::/ | . . <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> . + | ] : .. _ -=_ | , H.:.//.../..:H . . + | ] : ./ \ | . . . I: /.//.// ::I , + | ] :/ [==] \ | . H:.://.//...:H .. + | ] / / [d==b]\ \ | :. I.:/.//.//..:I .: . + | ]/ / " " \ | . , H:.. ////./::H . .. + | / _+m"m+_ \ \ | ., . I./:/..////.:I , . , + __________|/ / Jp qh \ \|____;__H:./ ///:/./:H_________ + O O + / Yb dY + _________________ / "Y5m2Y" __________ + _______"_____ =======_=====_=====_===__________ +========================================================================== + +========================================================================== + . + :: + :: .. : + . .::::.: :: + - :. :':::::.:::: /-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/ + | :':'::.::::::.: - . , . . . + | \- - :''::':'::: ... _/ | . . <^o^o^^o^> . . + | ] \- -::'::'::.::/ | . <^o^^o^^o^^o^> , + | : ..\:::':'::/ | . . <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> . + | ] : .. _ -=_ | , H.:.//.../..:H . . + | ] : ./ w \ | . . . I://. /.///::I , + | ] :/ \ | . H:.://.//...:H .. + | ] / / \ \ | :. I.:/.//./ ..:I .: . + | ]/ / \ ' . , H:../ ///./::H . .. + | / \ _+m"m+_ . I./:/..////.:I , . , + __________|/ / Jp qh __H:./// /:/./:H_________ + O O + / Yb dY + _________________ / "Y5m2Y" __________ + _______"_____ ___===_====_======_===__________ +========================================================================== + +========================================================================== + . + :: + :: .. : + . .::::.: :: + - :. :':::::.:::: /-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/ + | :':'::.::::::.: - . , . . . + | \- - :''::':'::: ... _/ | . . <^o^o^^o^> . . + | ] \- -::'::'::.::/ | . <^o^^o^^o^^o^> , + | : ..\:::':'::/ | . . <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> . + | ] : .. _ -=_ | , H.:.//.../..:H . . + | ] : ./ \ | . . . I:/ .//.// ::I , + | ] :/ \ | . H:.://.//...:H .. + | ] / / \ \ | :. I.:/.//.//.. ! .: . + | ]/ / \ | . , H:../// _+m"m+_ . . + | / \ \ | ., . I./:/.. Jp qh . , + __________|/ / \ \|____;__H:./ // O O ____ + Yb dY + / "Y5m2Y" + _________________ / __________ + _______"_____ =======_===_=======_===__________ +========================================================================== + + + +************************* + The ASCII character set +************************* + +The American Standard Code for Information Interchange supplies a +character-assignment for each number from zero to 127 (7F in +hexadecimal). As I understand it, Internet protocols are optimized +for this seven-bit range--if you're trying to ftp an eight-bit-wide +file, you have to specially request 'binary' transmission. (So the +opposite of binary, here, is *ASCII*.) + +Only the numbers from 32 to 126 (20 to 7E hex) are defined as +*printable* characters (the others are defined as control codes): + + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F + =-------------------------------- +2 | ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / <- <- <- 20 hex is the +3 | 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? blankspace +4 | @ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O +5 | P Q R S T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ +6 | ` a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 7F is non-printing +7 | p q r s t u v w x y z { | } ~ <- in the US ("rubout") + +Unfortunately, this narrow standard ignored the needs of many other +cultures: the British 'pound' sign, letters with accents in French +and Scandinavian alphabets, etc., which led them to introduce slight +modifications to the standard, making the following symbols (at +least) non-universal: + + {^ ` { curly brace 1 ^ caret ` backquote + #| } # hatch/hash mark | pipe } curly brace 2 + ~\ ~ tilde \ backslash + ]$[@ [square brackets] $ dollarsign @ at-sign + +[The test-graphic is vaguely a woman with a rose in her teeth, on my +screen anyway...] + +Furthermore, even within the US, different typefaces assign +significantly different shapes to some characters, for example: + +"|" (C7) is sometimes drawn as a continuous line, sometimes broken +in the middle. + ...@... ...@... (So this becomes a +"^" (5E) may be anything from ..@.@.. to ..@.@.. 'Pinocchio' smiley: + ....... .@...@. { ;^) +Similarly with "<" and ">". ....... @.....@ (...doesn't it?)) + +Depending on your character set, any of these may be the blackest +black: @#%* (I'm often seeing people choosing "#", which on my +screen looks totally blotchy.) + +Any of these may display at different heights: ~^*-=+ + +Lettershapes may have serifs or not, and ascenders and descenders +may be straight or curved. (Proportionally-spaced fonts, as opposed +to monospaced, are of course *hopeless*. On the Mac, I favor Monaco +9, for its simplicity. Courier is another normally-monospaced +family.) + +Even monospaced fonts may display with different aspect ratios +(v:h), at least within GUIs, which can turn circles into ellipses +and squares into rectangles. Different newsreaders may space the +lines differently, too, with the same outcome. (What was the IBM- +monochrome aspect-ratio?) + +For Internet transmission, you can assume the display is 80 +characters wide, although if you trim this a bit it will allow +images to be e-quoted without wrap-around. (If you use all 80, can +the CR cause wraparound in some pagers?) + +Normal screen height is 24 or 25 lines, but when you're laying out a +page you should assume you'll use a control-L before and after each +screenful of text, to maintain the alignment, and this turns out to +limit the height to 22 lines. + + + +********************************************* + Line-draw vs. greyscale character palettes +********************************************* + +Most ascii art so far has leaned almost entirely on less than twenty +of the available characters-- what might be called the 'line-draw' +character palette: + + / \ | - _ = + . : ' ` " ~ + < > ( ) [ ] + +Here's a cute example of the potential of this palette, a pastiche +that re-combines an incredibly cool self-portrait by Jonggu Moon and +a state-of-the-art dragon (off rec.games.mud, I think, but I got it +2ndhand and missed the credit). Notice, though, how the lines are +mostly the same weight, creating a flatness: + + _ __,----'~~~~~~~~~`-----.__ + . . `//====-_ ___,-' ` + -. \_|// . /||\\ `~~~~`---.___./ + ______-==. _-~o~ \/ ||| \\ _,'` + __,--' ,=='||\=_ ;_--~/_-'|- |`\ \\ ,' + _-' ' | \\`. '-'~7 /- / || `\. / + .' //// || | \\ \_ / /- / || \ / + / ____ O-O--= | \\.`-_/ /|- _/ ,|| \ / +,-' ( ^ _/\_ --_ \ `==-/ `| \'--===-' _/` + /\~-\/ \ `-| /| )-'\~' _,--~' + /|`/ _ \_ \ '-~~\_/ | | `\_ ,~ /\ + / | : U_/ / / \ \__ \/~ `\__ + \(__:__ \_/ _,-' _/'\ ,-'~____-'`-/ ``===\ + =@===== ((->/' \|||' `. ~`-/ , _|| + | | \_ ~\ `^---|__i__i__\--~'_/ + / | | __-^-_ `) \-.______________,-~' + / /| | //,-'~~`__--^- |-------~~~~~' + | | | | //,--~~`-\ + |__| |__| + /#_) |#\ + + +Tools for pasting clip-art *with appropriate 'hidden-line removal'* +do not exist, so one must settle, for now, for a word processor with +rectangular cut and paste. (Nisus on the Mac, MS Word in recent +upgrades?) + +The animation sample at the beginning of this FAQ uses mostly +linedraw, but also a bit of greyscale in the foreground (darker +lineweight) and in the far-background (lighter weight). *Greyscale +ascii art normally assumes you're displaying dark letters on a light +background*. This won't be true for many pc-monochrome monitors. + +(Here's a page, again. Notice also how a degree of 'random noise' +adds to the sense of realism, like avoiding using too-straight lines +or too-symmetrical shapes.) + + +========================================================================== + . + :: + :: .. : + . .::::.: :: + - :. :':::::.:::: /-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/-\_/ + | :':'::.::::::.: - . , . . . + | \- - :''::':'::: ... _/ | . . <^o^o^^o^> . . + | ] \- -::'::'::.::/ | . <^o^^o^^o^^o^> , + | : ..\:::':'::/ | . . <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> . + | ] : .. _ -=_ | , H.:.//... ..:H . . + | ] : ./ \ | . . . I://.//. //::I , + | ] :/ \ | . H:.://.//...:H .. + ] / / \ \ | :. I.:/./ .//..:I .: . + _+m"m+_ / / \ | . , H:../////./::H . .. + Jp qh J888888888888h | ., . I./:/../ //.:I , . , + ______ O O / 88 \\\ \ \ \ 88 |____;__H:.// //:/./:H_________ + Yb dY 88 \\\\\\ \\\ \ 88 + "Y5m2Y" / 8 \\\\\\\\\\ \\ 8 + _________________ / J888888888888888888h __________ + ______"______ 8OO8XX [YBNNDY] XX8OO8 ==_======_====_===__________ +========================================================================== + + + +************************ + ASCII fonts (linedraw) +************************ + +Here's some ascii fonts that use only the linedraw palette. (I'd +like to collect full alphabets for these.) Notice that they all use +the underscore for the topline of the letters, so an almost-full +line of blank must be left above them: + ___ _ _ _ _ _____ +| || |_ ___ _| ||_| ___ __ _| |_ / ___\ ___ __ ___ ___ +| | || .\/ ._\/. || |/ ._\| \|_ _| | / __ / _ \ | / \ / _ \ +|___||___/\___/\___||_|\___/|_|_| |_| | \_\ \ | __/ | /\ | | __/ + \_____/ \___/ |_| |_| \___/ + _ __ __ __ _ __ ___ __ __ ___ _ _ +| |/ / / _| / _|| | / \ | __|/ _|/ _|| __|| \| | +| ( ( (_ ( (_ | |_ | __ || __|\_ \\_ \| __|| | +|_|\_\ \__| [] \__||___||_||_||___||__/|__/|___||_|\_| + ___ __ __ ___ ____ ___ ____ _____ ___ _____ ___ ____ + / \| | |/ \| \ / \ / ___| ___|/ \|_ _|/ \| | +| =+= | =+= | =+= | =+= | =+= | \__ \| ___| +=+ | | | | +=+ | +=+ + \___/|__|__|__|__|__|\_\__|__| |___/|_____|__|__| |_| |__|__|____| + + /\ + ___/\___ ___ __ __(__) __ _______ +_/ __/\ \/\ / \ | |/ ___\/ \/ ___/ +\___ \_/ \/ _/\ \| _/ /| | \ / ____ +_/ | \ \/ \ \_/ / \_ \| | | \ \/ _/ +\ ___/\__|| \____/| |\__/__|__| \_ | + \/ |____/ |__| |____/|__| /\ + ___ (__)_____________ ___________ + \ \/\ | |____ \____ \/ \_____ \ + _/ \ | | _|/ / _|/ / _/\ \__|/ / + \ \/ \| | \_ \_\_ \_\_/ /\_ \_ + \__|| |__| |\___/ |\___/____/ |\___/ + |____/ |__| |__| |__| + +Here's an especially readable box font (in tumbling-dice mode): + __ ____ __ ____ __ __ + /\ \ / \_\ / /\ / \ \ / |\ / /\ + / \_\ / /\ |_| / / /| /\ \ \ / ||/ / / + / /\ | |\ \/ /_/_ / / / \ \/ \ \ / |/ / / + / \/ |_| \ __ \_\ /_/ / \ /\ \_\ / /| / / + / /\ ./_/ \ \ \/_/_\_\/ \ \ \/_// / | / / + \ \/ |_| \ \_\ /_/\ \ \_\ /_/ /|_/ / + \__/_/ \/_/ \_\/ \/_/ \_\/ \_\/ + +And an impressively tiny one: + ________ ________ + / /_ __/\ /\ \__ _\ +/___/_/_/\/ \ \___\_\_\ +\___\_\_\/ \/___/_/_/ + +Warlorders call most ascii fonts "BUAFs", for butt-ugly ascii font. +(buaG substitutes G-for-graphic.) I'm on the lookout for fonts that +might pass for butt-beautiful, and I'll settle for butt-bearable... +:^) Here's my new favorite (anybody know Jules?): + + _| _| _| _| _|_|_ _|_|_ + _| _| _| _| _| |/ \|_ + _| _| _| _| _| _|/ \| + \|_|_/ \|_|_/ _|_|_| \|_|_| \|_|_/ + +For page-layout, the linedraw palette is useful for making boxes and +frames, which adds to a screen's 'page-appeal' in the same way a +picture-frame sharpens the look of a wall-poster. + + + +********************* + Texture and gesture +********************* + +I experienced a personal ascii-art epiphany last winter, on seeing a +few signatures where people used this: _/ as a tile, which provides +an amazing sense of *texture*: + + _/ + _/ _/ + _/ _/ _/ + + +Another (flatter) sort of + texture: The same, randomized: + + *::*::*::*::*::*::*::* ::*:::::***::::::::::: + *::*::*::*::*::*::*::* :::::::**::::::*::::*: + *::*::*::*::*::*::*::* :*::*:*::*::::*::::*:: + *::*::*::*::*::*::*::* :::*::::::*::*:*:::::: + *::*::*::*::*::*::*::* ::*:*::::*:*:::::::::: + *::*::*::*::*::*::*::* ::::::*:*::::*:::::::: + *::*::*::*::*::*::*::* *::::::::**:::::::::** + *::*::*::*::*::*::*::* ::::*::::::*:::::*:::: + +If your wp's macro-language includes a random-number function, you +can generate textures by writing a 'Spatter' macro that fills a +rectangle with the letters of any string, randomly scattered. + + + _/ _/ + _/ _/ + _/ _/ + _/ _/ + _/ _/ _/ _/ + _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ + _/ _/ _/ + _/ _/_/ _/ _/ + _/ _/ _/ +As far as I know, _/ _/ _/ +the first appli- _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ +cation to allow _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/ +the use of a mouse _/ _/ _/ +to draw ascii _/ _/_/ _/ _/ +*gesturally* will _/ _/ _/ _/_/ +be Matt Mora's _/ _/ _/ _/ +AsciiPaint (for Mac), _/ _/ +now in beta. (Watch _/ +for announcements.) _/_/ +It made this easy: _/ _/ _/ + + + + +***************** + ASCII greyscale +***************** + +ASCII art has its roots in the technology of *mosaics*. Most +mosaics use small elements with a single, solid colorshade. By this +standard, ASCII offers 95 shades of grey! (When I was small, a +design firm in my town built a hi-tech mosaic mural for the Wright +Brothers museum in Dayton, Ohio, a wall-sized version of that +classic b&w photo of their first flight, built out of inch-square +tiles in about eight shades of grey-- only instead of solid greys, +they used (fractally) tiny black-and-white 'icons', which +represented other scenes from the Wrights' career, covering a scale +from very light to very dark...) + +Here's an approximate, partial greyscale ascii palette (still +assuming white background): + + .'`,^:";~ + -_+<>i!lI? + /\|()1{}[] (I'm looking for feedback about where this doesn't work, + rcvunxzjft for non-Mac-Monaco displays.) + LCJUYXZO0Q + oahkbdpqwm + *WMB8&%$#@ + +(If an eighth bit were available to toggle the background color +between black and white... would this help a lot?) + +Of course, more than eight shades of grey is probably overkill, not +least because the lettershapes contribute so much distracting +'noise' that fewer is probably better. + +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@J............@@@@@@JJJJJJ@@@@@@@@@@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@J.................@@JJJJ@@@@JJ@@@@ +@@@@@@..@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJJ...........@@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJ@@@@ +@@@@@@J.JJJJ@@@J@@@@@@@@J........@@.JJJ..@@@@JJJ.JJJJ@@ The more you +@@@@..JJ....@@JJ@@@@@@@@J........@@.J..JJ@@@@@@J...JJ@@ squint, the better +@@@@JJ....J.J.....J.@@@@...........JJJ.JJ..........JJ@@ this looks! +@@@@JJ....J.J.....J.@@@@............JJJ............JJ@@ Notice that it +@@JJJJ..J..........J@@@@...............JJJJ........JJ@@ uses only three +@@JJJJ..J..........J@@@@..................J........JJ@@ greys (or a +@@JJJ..............J@@@@J..........................JJ@@ 'black', a white +@@JJJ.............JJ@@@@J..........................JJ@@ and one grey.) +@@JJJJ.........J.J@@@@J...........................JJJ@@ +@@JJJJJ.......J.JJ@@@@J...........................JJJ@@ [This example is +@@JJJJJ.......J.@@JJ@@....J........................@@@@ far from being +@@JJJJJ.......JJ@@JJ@@..JJJ........................@@@@ optimized, even at +@@JJJJJ.........JJ@@..............................J@@@@ this low res...] +@@JJJJJJ...J.JJJJJ@@.............................JJ@@@@ +@@@@@JJJJJJJ@@JJJJ@@@JJJ@@@JJJ..................J@@@@@@ (Aren't the J's +@@@@@@JJJJJJ@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJJJJ.J.....JJ@@@@@@ annoying?) +@@@@@@@@JJJJJJJJ.J@@@@@@@@@@@JJJ...............@@@@@@@@ +@@@@@@@@JJJJJJJJJ.JJ@@@@@@@@J................@@@@@@@@@@ +@@@@@@@@@@JJJJ.J.JJ........................@@@@@@@@@@@@ + + + ....................J@@@@@@@@@@@@@......JJJJJJ.......... + .....................J@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@..JJJJ....JJ.... + ......@@.............JJJ@@@@@@@@@@@@..............JJ.... +Here's the ......J@JJJJ...J........J@@@@@@@@@..@JJJ@@....JJJ@JJJJ.. +same image ....@@JJ@@@@..JJ........J@@@@@@@@@..@J@@JJ......J@@@JJ.. +in negative, ....JJ@@@@J@J@@@@@J@....@@@@@@@@@@@@JJJ@JJ@@@@@@@@@@JJ.. +for pc-monos: ....JJ@@@@J@J@@@@@J@....@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJJ@@@@@@@@@@@@JJ.. + ..JJJJ@@J@@@@@@@@@@J....@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJJJ@@@@@@@@JJ.. +(The whites ..JJJJ@@J@@@@@@@@@@J....@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@J@@@@@@@@JJ.. +just aren't ..JJJ@@@@@@@@@@@@@@J....J@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJ.. +very white!) ..JJJ@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJ....J@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJ.. + ..JJJJ@@@@@@@@@J@J....J@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJJ.. + ..JJJJJ@@@@@@@J@JJ....J@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJJ.. + ..JJJJJ@@@@@@@J@..JJ..@@@@J@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@.... + ..JJJJJ@@@@@@@JJ..JJ..@@JJJ@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@.... + ..JJJJJ@@@@@@@@@JJ..@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@J.... + ..JJJJJJ@@@J@JJJJJ..@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@JJ.... + .....JJJJJJJ..JJJJ...JJJ...JJJ@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@J...... + ......JJJJJJ.......................JJJJJ@J@@@@@@JJ...... + ........JJJJJJJJ@J...........JJJ@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@........ + ........JJJJJJJJJ@JJ........J@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@.......... + ..........JJJJ@J@JJ@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@............ + + + +********************* + ASCII anti-aliasing +********************* + +The oddities of the ascii lettershapes, though, need not be purely +noise. One can also view ascii as a palette whose elements combine +both linedraw and greyscale effects. This might be thought of as +anti-aliased greyscale, and ought to allow at least doubled +resolution, both horizontally and vertically. (I wonder how this +works on other screens?): + + +(((&(&(&(&(&(((&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@(((((((((((((((((((((((@ +((&(((&((&(&((@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&(((((((((((((((((((((@ +(&(&((&(&&((@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&((((((((((((((((((@ +((&(&(@&@&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&&(((((((((((((((@ +&(((&&&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@(((((((((((((((@ +(&(&(@@@&&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@5::""=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&((((((((((((((@ +((&(&&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@:::::::m88CCC8@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&(((((((((((@ +(&(&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@#88@@88b_::::::mm@9998C8@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@((((((((((@ +((@&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@#L""#58@@@)::..8<"_@@9>"C@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&(((((((@ +(@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@3::))::)@@::: :Yh":::::C@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@m((((( +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@33:)::::(@@:::. :"?::::C@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@(@((K(((( +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@3)::::::d@@|::. ..::::C@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@(@((@(((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@3J)::::/J@@|::.. ..:::(C@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@((@@&((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@3J)::::6@C8:=).. .:::::@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&((((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@33J):;;cO8::::.... :::::_@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&((((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@833O8mm@@m888mme_=;:::_@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&@(((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@88OOOO:@@@88P":::::::w@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@(@@@(@((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@88OOJJ):::::::::::_@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@(@@@(&((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&&88888):::::__wm@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@(@@@@((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&&88888 @@@@@&&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@(@@@&((@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&8@888883 888888@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&@ +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&@&8&8888833 88888&@@&@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&@@ + +|@@@@@@@^^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^@@@@@@@@| +|@@@@@@^ ~^ @ @@ @ @ @ I ~^@@@@@@| +|@@@@@ ~ ~~ ~I @@@@@| Here's a superb white-on-black +|@@@@' ' _,w@< @@@@| anti-aliased image I just got +|@@@@ @@@@@@@@w___,w@@@@@@@@ @ @@@| in the mail. +|@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ I @@@| +|@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@*@[ i @@@| +|@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@[][ | ]@@@| +|@@@@ ~_,,_ ~@@@@@@@~ ____~ @ @@@| +|@@@@ _~ , , `@@@~ _ _`@ ]L J@@@| +|@@@@ , @@w@ww+ @@@ww``,,@w@ ][ @@@@| +|@@@@, @@@@www@@@ @@@@@@@ww@@@@@[ @@@@| +|@@@@@_|| @@@@@@P' @@P@@@@@@@@@@@[|c@@@@| +|@@@@@@w| '@@P~ P]@@@-~, ~Y@@^'],@@@@@@| +|@@@@@@@[ _ _J@@Tk ]]@@@@@@| +|@@@@@@@@,@ @@, c,,,,,,,y ,w@@[ ,@@@@@@@| +|@@@@@@@@@ i @w ====--_@@@@@ @@@@@@@@| +|@@@@@@@@@@`,P~ _ ~^^^^Y@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@| +|@@@@^^=^@@^ ^' ,ww,w@@@@@ _@@@@@@@@@@| +|@@@_xJ~ ~ , @@@@@@@P~_@@@@@@@@@@@@| +|@@ @, ,@@@,_____ _,J@@@@@@@@@@@@@| +|@@L `' ,@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@| + +Here's a playful anti-aliased ascii font (3*3): + + ! i-, ,=_ :\ = - --= ,-, i i ! i ! / i \ / + i=: :=\ : | ) |- |- | _ :_: : | =: : !""! + j t |_) Y_- :=' o-= o Y-) ! ! i \-Y i \ =-- + + + + = : ,-, i- ,-, :-, ,-> ==- i i i i ! ! \ / i i <-= + |\| [ ) :_) [ ) i_; "-, | | | \ / :/\: = ':' / + : + "=" | "=t ! \ o_) ! "=" + ! ! j t ! o-= + +An anti-aliasing character palette should include these 'diagonals': + JhjtY + + +A new anti-aliasing algorithm! + +Happily, as I was working on this faq, I ran across Rob Harley +(robert@vlsi.cs.caltech.edu), who had some handy code for converting +b&w bitmaps according to a mapping like this: + + .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. + .. .. .. .. .@ .@ .@ .@ @. @. @. @. @@ @@ @@ @@ + .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ + , . _ - i v g - c i s = e z m + + .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ .@ + .. .. .. .. .@ .@ .@ .@ @. @. @. @. @@ @@ @@ @@ + .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ + ' ! / 2 ! ] / d / ( / K Y 4 Z W + + @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. @. + .. .. .. .. .@ .@ .@ .@ @. @. @. @. @@ @@ @@ @@ + .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ + ` \ | L \ \ ) G ! t [ b + N D W + + @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ + .. .. .. .. .@ .@ .@ .@ @. @. @. @. @@ @@ @@ @@ + .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ .. .@ @. @@ + ~ T 7 X V Y Z 8 f 5 P K * M A @ + +The most important factor in these assignments is not the letter +shape alone, but the overall pixel density. On my Mac, these rows +form an approximate greyscale, from 2 pixels per char, to six: + +2 _ivc=!/|\~ +3 gjez2]/(YL\)t[+T7Vf +4 mdK4ZGbNDXY5P* +5 W8KMA +6 @ <-- remember, this choice varies widely: @#%&* + +Theoretically, these substitutions could turn 22*80 ascii resolution +into 66*160. See rec.misc for the sourcecode and further details. +Here's the output: + +i`it)v|[[[[(//s+)`(-\\/JJgbdd@@@@@@@dmKK(c!(/-[2=/cct/!-v\!_L\)| +]-!/(!-)\L\)v|c5(!,!Ldd@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@dK/]!c\\\v|i\/cT\v((c- +]!`/v\//(-|t\VvcL!m@@@@@M@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@bLt\\|)c/2-vv)/it\. +--/-,\,\v\,|)/v/m@@@@@@K@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@bK!v!-( )-!.[/cT +//.\--'--|-/c(e@@@@@@@DD@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@s\\\\-||/v!c\. +-,-|\`||\-\/id@@@@@@@@N@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@b.),`-,-/c-`i +!,\!-!-!'!-!d@@@@@@@P[+~**AAA@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@b/./`c-/.\7- +--'.-- -/,id@@@*P!` \'Z8@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@i.\\'.\.c +',`,`\'-,-J@@5`- -- `-iYA@@@@@@@@@@b@@@@@@@@@_\-|-\c- +'. -.,`/.G@@K- ` - )7KM@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@c-----/ +- `- --i@@Ai -!ZZ@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@b! \`|-` + `-,'- G@@@[, '.D8K@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@[/-,-/. +-` .-/v@@@A) -)ZdMd@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@\' _\ +- ` ,iVJ@@@! '-!(K5K@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@[(/s[. + - i\G@@@Z- ' ! -i55ZZ@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@)(4)` + , -|b@@@@!\ ' ` |-tYG@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@XNYZ- + tt@@@@A-, ' `)(d@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@D)8A[ + )8@@@@@\ ,-'-/Kd@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@KD@[ + ]]Z@@@@d|- ,ii.c,, -.icLZKK@@@@@@8@K@@@@@@@@@(@8[ + KN8@@@@@( .i!vGG_ J4Kb8ZKb@bbK@d@88@@@@@@@b@@@@@@@@@@dK@- + )/8K@@@K@b@dP~~~T4( Jd@@7`___s@M@@@@MM8d@@@d@@@@@@@@@@@@LM8[ +\!48@K@@@@8@@d*@@@bVi bAKLY~~@@@@@@*ff/\NM8@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@db@[ +,\\Kb@@@d@.~t` !*~!`. -MA) '~'.).` `,'K@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@AKb[ +,`8M@@@@@@ -`,,gvZ`` A//- ..c\+\` i]d@@@@@@M@@@@@@@@@@@8[ +i\@8@K@@@D \!' !iZ8@@@8A@@@@@8d@b@@@8M[ +e8d5@@@@@@ '!- '-)8@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@M8i +8dZ8@M@@@@- v , ,\tK@@@@@@@@@@@@A@@@@@@Z2| +@b@AK@@@b@[ // cctbA@@@AK@@d@@d@@@K@@@bmi +@@8@M@8@@@P- -=/. /iD8d@@@@@@@@@@@@@@A@@@d@@[ +@8@@@MA@@@@\- . _)g2i -((dKK@@@@@d@@@@d@@K@@@@@@K[ +@@@bAK@@K@@)i 'c,,Kb@@bK )X)Kb@M@@d@@@Mb@@A@d@@@@@@8@[ +@K@b@@@@A@AA/i- ~M@@@@Mc .,\c=)D8d@@b@@@d@@@@@@@@@@8d@@A[ +@@@@Mb@@@@@@('c\` PPK((,i]v|-\-v)8XNAdMK@@@@@@@b@@MK@A@@@@@[ +@@8@@MK@d@A@L!--c)s_, ,(ZsbLb@\`- .-N]/KM@@@@@@@d@@@A@@@@@@@@d@[ +@@Kb@@@K@b@@@/- !''~~Vff*N5f -` -,\))KK@@@@@@@MK@@d@@@M8d@b@@@[ +@b@@@KAK@@@@@@2-- ,,_JJ/i)/- |/v)NK@8d@@@@@@@@@@8@@@@@@@@M@K[ +@@8d@K@@@b@@@@@d!, 'VV\)\\)\7(-)4Jb@8@A@@@K@d@@@@@@@8@@@@@@@@[ +M@@@@8@@K@Kb@@@d@v. `-\\/v)88b@M@A@K@@M@@@A@@M@8@@A@d@8@M[ +Zb@d@M@K@@@@@@@@@@m -)!/stbb@b@@A@b@@@@@Kb@@@@@@@b@@@K@@@[ +K@@d@@@@@d@M@8@@@@@Ks ,-/vJD@@8d@K@@@@@@8@@@@@@@@@@MK@@@b@@M@[ +tN@b@@d@d@M@@@@@@@@@@LL4JKd@A@@d@@K@@@@MK@@@@8@@@@@@@@@@@b@@@@@[ +)NM@8b@@A@@@A@@@@@@@@@@@@@@A@@A@@8@@K@d@@@@M@@K@@K@A@@@8@@M@@@@[ +(tMM@@@d@@M8@@@@A@@@@A@@@A@@@@@@@@@A@@@@8b@@8d@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@M[ +tNZ@@K@@@d@@@@A@@@@@8@@@/4N@@8@b@@d@@M@8@MK@M8@K@@@@@@d@@@@@@@@[ +M/KA8@@@MA@@@M@@@@@@@@@@[|t*Z@N@@@@8@@M8ZAZZ@M@@@A@d@@@@@K@@@d@[ +bYJ4M@@@@@@A@@@@@@@@@@@@D.\'(YKKZD@8dK@5A84YZ@dM@@@@@@@@@@@@d@@[ +K5dM8@8d@d@@@@@@@@8@@@@@@..-!/))ZK5AK4)AY(/XY/Z@@@A@@@d@@@M@@@@[ +Y8dNA@@AK@@d@@@b@@@@@@@@@L,-,\!]]\X(5)Z/7c\\t5/K@@@@@@@@b@@@@@@[ +8M8@@@A@@@A@@8@@@@@@@@@KDLt! !,-|t'(-\\!,\/,\!ZJG@@@d@Md@@@G@@@[ + +=----------=- ,!. --=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----= +Jorn Barger j't Anon-ftp to genesis.mcs.com in mcsnet.users/jorn for: + <:^)^:< K=-=:: -=-> Finnegans Wake, artificial intelligence, Ascii-TV, + .::.:.::.. "=i.: [-' fractal-thicket indexing, semantic-topology theory, +jorn@mcs.com /;:":.\ DecentWrite, MiniTech, nant/nart, flame theory &c! +=----------= ;}' '(, -=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----= + +============================================================================ + +[ Note: There has been some reformatting of the text to make it fit + within 76 columns to avoid linewrap, and, the sub-headings + have been re-done to make them clearer. Otherwise the + original text has remained unchanged. ] + +Bye, + +File: academy/faqs/faq_randall.txt +http://www.ascii-art.de/ascii/faq.html + +Archive-name: ascii-art/faq +Posting-Frequency: monthly +Version: 3.0.3.18 +Last-changed: 2003-05-10 cjr +Compiler: CJRandall +Copyright: Public display of this document in proportional-fonts is forbidden + +======================================================================== + | | : : :: \ \ ;; + J J : : :: \ \ ;; + L L : : __ _ _________ \ \ ;; + | | : : / |`| |`|___ ___|`-.\ \ ;; + J J : : / . | | | `-.| |`-. `-.`\ \ ;; + L L : : / /| | | | | | `-. `-\ \ ;; + | | : : / /_| | | | | | `-. \ \. ;; + J J : : / ___ | | | | | `-\ \`-. + L L : : / /`-.| | | |___ | | _ \ \-.`-._ + | | : : /_/____|_|_|_____|_|_|_(_) _ \ \ `-._`: + J J : : |__________________________| `-. \ \-.,-' + L L : : _ _ _ _ _ ___ `-. `-. \ \ | + | | :_: /\(_ / ` | | _ /\ | ) | `-. `-. `-. \ \| + J J | | /--\_)\_,_|_|_-/--\|_\__|__ `-. `-._`-\ \ + L L|_| |___________________________|`-. `-._ `-.\ \ + | | | _____ ___ ___ `-.`-._ `-._ \ ,!`-. + J J | | ___|`/ _ \`-._/ _ \`--. `-._`--._`-'||`-' + L L | | |_ / /_\ \ / / \ \ `-._ `--. `-,+.`-._ + __-------_ | _|`/ _____ \ \ \_/ /_._ `--._ `-.|X||-./ + | |/|_|_./_/_____\_\_\_____/=\`-._ `-. |X||.| + | _,--------------.____ -========\_(A)`-.._ `-|X||\ + Ool | _| ` |_`--. `-- |X||/ + /VK | | | ALT.ASCII-ART: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS / ||-. +======================================================================== +[Subject:] (FAQ) Welcome to ASCII art +======================================================================== + +__ __ __ _, +\\ \\ / ___ '|| ___ ___ __ _ _ ___ _/|_ ___ + \\ /\\ / //_\) || // \)// \\ ||'||'|| //_\) || // \\ + \/ \/ \\__,_||_\\__,\\_//_||_||_||_\\__, \|_\\_// + + ___ ___ ____ ____ + /\ (( / // | || || ___ _,_ _/|_ + /_\\ \\ (( || || __\\'||\) || + _/ _\\_/__)) \\__,_||_ _||_ ((_||_||_ \|_ + + +Answers to frequently asked questions about ASCII art +======================================================================== +On the Web, the FAQ and other useful documents can be found in the +ASCII art Documentation Archive (ADA), at the following locations:- +======================================================================== +*** There is a wealth of information about ASCII Art *** +*** in the ASCII Documents Archive *** +======================================================================== + International Mirrors +======================================================================== +http://www.sci.fi/~iltzu/ascii/ada/ (Helsinki, Finland) +http://www.ludd.luth.se/~vk/q/ada/ (Lulea, Sweden) +http://voices.vossnet.co.uk/a/atkins/ada/ (Langley, UK) +http://website.lineone.net/~martin.atkins/ada/ (London, UK) +http://www.bluedwarf.net/~mikechat/ada/ (California, USA) +http://votrezone.com/ada/ (Calgary, Canada) +http://martweb.hypermart.net/ada/ (Seattle, USA) <==spyware +======================================================================== + -*+!%$%!+*-.-*+!%$%!+*-.-*+!%$%!+*-.-*+!%$%!+*-.-*+!%$%!+*-.-*+!%$%!+*- +======================================================================== +Contents +======================================================================== + [1] What's alt.ascii-art? + [2] What is ASCII art? + [3] What does ASCII mean? + [4] Why do all the pictures look strange? + [5] What font do you use for ASCII art? + [6] What program do you use for ASCII art? + [7] How do I draw my own ASCII art? + [8] Can someone do me some kewl lettering? + [9] Where can I find Figlet's address? +[10] Can I copy or post that ASCII picture for myself? +[11] What way works best to ask for a picture of something? +[12] What should I know before posting to alt.ascii-art? +[13] What to NOT post to alt.ascii-art? [da roolz] +[14] How do I convert a picture or graphic to ASCII art? +[15] I have a picture or graphic and I would like it Asciified? +[16] What are ASCII art signature files? +[17] What is ASCII art animation? +[18] What does ObAscii mean? +[19] The ASCII Art Rough-Guide to m$.Outlook? +[20] Where can I find pictures/tutorials/infos/chatrooms/experts? +[21] Historacle's What types of ASCII art are there? +[X1] The Ascii Art 10-Commandments + +======================================================================== +[1] What's alt.ascii-art? What's going on here? +======================================================================== + You're probably reading this because it's been posted to + news:alt.ascii-art, news:alt.ascii-art.animation or rec.arts.ascii. + If you're not, jump in and take a look. In these Usenet groups + people discuss ASCII art, request ASCII art, post ASCII art, post + improved versions or variations of other people's ASCII art, and + generally have fun. + +======================================================================== +[2] What is ASCII art? +======================================================================== + ASCII art is any sort of pictures or diagrams drawn with the + printable characters in the ASCII character set. + (For a definition of ASCII, see Question 3.) + + :-) Probably the most common ASCII art picture is the smiley (-: + but it can get a lot more sophisticated than that. + ____ + .-" +' "-. Here's a small ASCII picture of + /.'.'A_'*`.\ a snow-scene paperweight, + |:.*'/\-\. ':| drawn by Joan Stark: + |:.'.||"|.'*:| + \:~^~^~^~^:/ If this picture looks very strange and + /`-....-'\ you can't really tell what it is, + jgs / \ don't panic -- see Question 5. + `-.,____,.-' + + People use ASCII art for a number of reasons. Here are some of them. + * It is the most universal computer art form in the world -- + every computer system capable of displaying multi-line text can + display ASCII art, without needing to have a graphics mode or + support a particular graphics file format. + * An ASCII picture is hundreds of times smaller in file size + than its GIF or BMP equivalent, while still giving a good idea + of what something looks like. + * It's easy to copy from one file to another (just cut and paste). + * It's fun! + +======================================================================== +[3] What does ASCII mean? +======================================================================== + ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) + 7-bit as defined in ISO-646 is a basic set of 128 numbered symbols + which almost all kinds of computer can display. Here are the ones + that are used for ASCII art: + + 032 [space] 048 0 064 @ 080 P 096 ` 112 p + 033 ! 049 1 065 A 081 Q 097 a 113 q + 034 " 050 2 066 B 082 R 098 b 114 r + 035 # 051 3 067 C 083 S 099 c 115 s + 036 $ 052 4 068 D 084 T 100 d 116 t + 037 % 053 5 069 E 085 U 101 e 117 u + 038 & 054 6 070 F 086 V 102 f 118 v + 039 ' 055 7 071 G 087 W 103 g 119 w + 040 ( 056 8 072 H 088 X 104 h 120 x + 041 ) 057 9 073 I 089 Y 105 i 121 y + 042 * 058 : 074 J 090 Z 106 j 122 z + 043 + 059 ; 075 K 091 [ 107 k 123 { + 044 , 060 < 076 L 092 \ 108 l 124 | + 045 - 061 = 077 M 093 ] 109 m 125 } + 046 . 062 > 078 N 094 ^ 110 n 126 ~ + 047 / 063 ? 079 O 095 _ 111 o + + There are other characters in the set (with the numbers 0 - 31 and + 127), but they can do bad stuff to Usenet readers, so PLEASE DON'T + USE THEM in your pictures (except characters 10 and or 13 which + are used to insert a new-line by a variety of Operating Systems). + +======================================================================== +[4] Why do the pictures look strange? +======================================================================== + If one particular picture posted to this group looks faulty, but the + rest of them look fine, then its most likely a problem with that + particular picture, or with the poster's Usenet program. But if + *all* the pictures look bad, then your Usenet reader may be set to + display messages in a proportional font (see Question 5). + + * If there are a lot of almost-blank lines in the picture, then + the message is probably suffering from `wrapping'. This + wrapping may be being done by your newsreader; see if it has an + option called `wrap long lines' or similar, and make sure it is + turned off. If this doesn't work, then the wrapping was probably + done by the news program of the person who sent the picture, in + which case there's not much you can do -- everybody else will be + seeing the same thing. + + * If there are a lot of < and > symbols in the picture, with + words like HTML, FONT COLOR, B, I, and so on inside them, then + the picture has been sent in HTML format and your newsreader + does not understand HTML (most newsreaders don't). + +======================================================================== +[5] What font do you use for ASCII art? +======================================================================== + ASCII art is created using a fixed-width font (like on a traditional + typewriter), because this is the only way to make it portable. + However, several Usenet readers now display messages in a + proportional font (where different characters are different widths). + + The following two lines tell you which kind of font you're using. + The arrow ends up in a different place for different font types and + is right most of the time: + + You are using a [Proportional] [Monospaced] font + ................................. --^-- + + Also, to see what your program is doing, look at these two lines: + iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii| + WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW| + If they look the same length, you're using a fixed-width font and + all should be ok. If the second line is longer than the first, you + need to change your settings to use a fixed-width font. + + In Netscape Messenger, this option is set in + Edit > Preferences > Mail & Newsgroups. + In Outlook Express, the option is set in + View > Options > Fonts (see Question 19) + In Forte Agent, the option is set in + Options > Display Preferences > Fonts + and Free Agent, the option is set in + Options > General Preferences > Fonts + The AOL newsreader can not, at the time of writing, + display Usenet messages in a fixed-width font at all. + + Detailed information on how to configure other Usenet readers is + available at the: + ASCII-Art Documentation Archive (see the beginning of this FAQ). + If all else fails, copy the text of the picture from + your program and paste it into a text editor (such as Notepad). + It's a hassle, but at least you'll get to see the pictures. + +======================================================================== +[6] What program do you use for ASCII art? +======================================================================== + You can create ASCII art in any text editor, [jorn barger] + such as: Notepad in Windows, + SimpleText or BBEdit in MacOS, + nedit, vi, vim, or pico in Unix, _+m"m+_ + BEd or AZ in AmigaOS, edit in DOS, Jp qh + or any of the various Emacs editors. O O + Yb dY + A 'quick-start' program for learning "Y5m2Y" + is JavE, a free Java program that can be + obtained from:- http://www.jave.de + + Some editors have features which make them more + suitable for ASCII art than others, but that is + largely a matter of personal opinion. Features which + are both useful for ASCII art and available in many + text editors, include the following:- + + * Overtype, also known as overstrike: removes the need for + you to constantly realign characters using the Backspace, + Space, and Delete keys. Try the Insert key if there is one + on your keyboard, or your program's Options or Preferences. + + * Rectangular copy and paste: allows you to select rectangular + sections of text (not just rows or parts of rows). On programs + which have this feature, it is usually done by holding down a + key such as Ctrl while selecting text. + + * Find/Change: allows you to change all the characters of one + value to another (eg: change all the ~s to "s). + +======================================================================== +[7] How do I draw my own ASCII art? +======================================================================== + Unfortunately, there aren't many text books on the subject. :-) + A good way to learn is to study how someone has made a picture. + What characters are chosen and how the characters are laid out. + How a texture is made. + + #########::::::::::######## The best way to learn is to Practise. + ##########::::::::######### Draw your cat, your toaster, your + ###########::::::########## partner, your musical instruments, + ###########,---.########### anything that will sit still long + ##########/`---'\########## enough. Practice makes, if not + #########/ \######### perfect, then at least pretty good. + ########/ \######## Whether you do small drawings (less + #######:`-._____.-':####### work involved) or large ones (easier + ######::::: ( ) |::::###### to make recognizable) is up to you. + #####:::::: ) ( o:::::##### If you're interested in tutorials, + ####::::: .-(_)-. :::::#### there are many available from the + ###:::::: '=====' ::::::### ASCII-art Documentation Archive. + ########################Mk# + _ + A good way to begin drawing is to \`"-. + type a row of spaces for however ) _`-. + wide you want your picture, and , : `. \ + then copy this row and paste it : _ ' \ + for however many rows high you ; *` _. `--._ + think the picture will get. `-.-' `-. + Turn Overtype on and place the | ` `. + cursor somewhere in the middle :. . \ + and begin drawing. This can save | \ . : .-' . + using Delete, Backspace, Enter : )-.; ; / : + and Space-bar keystrokes. : ; | : : ;-. + Saving this empty `canvas' as a ; / : |`-: _ `- ) + read-only file for future use can ,-' / ,-' ; .-`- .' `--' + save you even more time later. `--' `---' `---' bug + + Another method is by tracing a picture either onto clear-plastic + and sticking it onto the screen then opening an editor to trace + under or using an editor which allows the loading of a background + image to trace over, a process known as `water-mark'. + + You can also modify existing art. Take a piece of art you think + could be improved. Make a copy. Now work on it. When you are + good at that, try to improve a really good pic. Then see if you + can fix a damaged file. Now take some small pics and put them + together into a big composite image. + + When drawing ASCII art be aware that there are a few characters + that differ in size, shape and position among fonts: + ' apostrophe -- tilts southwest-northeast or vertical + ^ caret -- differs in size and shape + ~ tilde -- appears in the middle or top + I aye -- straight line in sans-serif, with strokes in serif + try using the vertical bar (|) instead. + # hash -- hash symbol on most, currency on some old computers. + +======================================================================== +[8] Can someone do me some kewl lettering? +======================================================================== + There is a program called Figlet which does that sort of thing + automatically -- you type in `Jane Smith', and you get back + + ___ __, + ( / ( o _/_ / + / __, _ _ `. _ _ , / /_ + _/_(_/(_/ /_(/_ (___)/ / /_(_(__/ /_ + // + (/ + + in this and a whole lot of other fonts (see Question 9). + The ASCII art text produced by Figlet can be quite stunning, + so try it first before asking for help from the newsgroups. + + IF, however, Figlet doesn't produce the kind of results you want, + THEN post to alt.ascii-art or rec.arts.ascii with your request and + ensure that you include: + * that you have already tried Figlet or don't have access to it + otherwise you will probably just get told to use it. + * a description of the kind of lettering you want, along with + any other symbols or logos which you would like incorporated + into it. + +======================================================================== +[9] Where can I find Figlet ? +======================================================================== + The Figlet home page is at:- http://www.figlet.org/ + and links to the FTP site:- ftp://ftp.figlet.org/pub/figlet/ + where you can download versions of the program or source-code + for many different platforms. + + You can run Figlet on the Web by going to one of the following sites + and choosing your text and options on the Web page. Different sites + offer different options (e.g. multiple fonts at once, justification, + and limited line length). Some of these sites also provide an e-mail + Figlet service for people with browsers which don't support forms. + + * http://schnoggo.com/figlet.html + * http://www.network-science.de/ascii/ + * http://home.cern.ch/~rigaut/FigletJava.html + +======================================================================== +[10] Can I copy or post that ASCII picture for myself? +======================================================================== + . + / \ Don't assume that if somebody posts + | | something to a Usenet group, that gives + |.| you the right to use it however you like, + |.| copyright laws still apply. + |:| __ For more information, see the article:- + ,_|:|_, / ) Copyright Myths FAQ: + (Oo / _I_ `10 big myths about copyright explained' + +\ \ || __| in news:news.announce.newusers. + \ \||___| + \ /.:.\-\ It is also available at:- + |.:. /-----\ http://www.clari.net/brad/copymyths.html + |___|::oOo::| + / |:<_T_>:| Generally, ASCII artists don't mind + |_____\ ::: / if you copy their pictures and + | | \ \:/ re-post them or put them on your own + | | | | Web site, as long as you don't + [nosig] \ / | \__ make any money out of them. + / | \____\ + `-' + Here are a few important considerations:- + + * If the picture contains a few letters in one corner which don't + seem to be part of the picture, they're the artist's initials. + DO NOT remove these initials -- would you cut away the part of + a Van Gogh painting containing his name? Leaving the initials + on is a small price to pay for being able to use the picture + for free. + + * If you're going to use a picture in your signature file, or in + a place (such as a log-in screen) which means you're going to + be using it a lot, you should really e-mail the artist (or post + to the newsgroup, if you don't know their address) and ask for + permission, because otherwise people may get the mistaken + impression that you were the one who drew the picture. + + * If you find a picture you want to use, or post, but it doesn't + have initials on it, a common method of marking has been to use + the tag: Unknown. More recently the tag: [nosig] has been used. + + As for posting other people's ASCII art, + after a discussion in news:alt.ascii-art _ ___ + the following rules were agreed upon: #_~`--'__ `===-, + 1. If an ASCII ART picture has initials `.`. `#.,// + on it, leave them on when posting it ,_\_\ ## #\ + 2. If an ASCII ART picture doesn't have `__.__ `####\ + initials on it, mention that you ~~\ ,###'~ + didn't draw it when posting it. \##' + 3. If somebody posts a picture without [nosig] + initials and you have an original copy + with initials on, feel free to re-post the original version. + * The re-post ought not to be taken personally, as we all + know that ASCII art often loses proper credits. + Responses to the re-post are not necessary. + + One contributor, name of Krogg, suggested the following: + + 1.) Ultra polite:...ya make yer own ascii and use it. + 2.) Very polite:...Ya contact the author and ask if ya + can use it... + 3.) polite:...Ya use it but you keep the Credits + in there like they should be. + 4.) rude:...Ya use it and strip credits. + 5.) Very rude:...Ya use it and claim that it Is + _Your_ very own creation... + + You choose ... I think the default choice is #3 but you should + make up yer own mind.... + +======================================================================== +[11] What way works best to ask for a picture of something? +======================================================================== + Give your request the subject: `REQ:' or `[req]' + Whatever you're looking for a picture of, in the message describe + more exactly what you're looking for. Generally, the more specific + you are, the more likely you are to get some response. + If you just say something like: + `can someone draw me a fish, please' + then you may not get many replies, because people may not know + what size or feel they're wasting their time by drawing something + you won't want. If you don't have Web access, mention this fact, + otherwise you may get replies consisting only of URLs for the + kind of pictures you're looking for. + If someone is rude back to you directly, then please be patient, + since it may just be a troll trying to wind you up. + __ + .' )) __-:!:- If you have a picture + .' .' )) and want it Ascii-fied + ((__,' .' ASCII! -:!:- see Question 14 and 15. + -:!:- ((__,'* + +======================================================================== +[12] What should I know before posting to alt.ascii-art? +======================================================================== + It doesn't matter if your ASCII art isn't particularly good; we'd + like to see it anyway. We won't be rude about it (although you'd + better tell us what it is, or we might ask :-), but if it shows + potential, you may find that other people will `re-diddle' it -- + change a few characters, make it a bit better, and re-post it. + + HOWEVER, there are a few things you should check before you + post to news:alt.ascii-art any piece of ASCII art + (see also Question 13). + + * Are you sending it as PLAIN TEXT? Some news programs, + particularly those built in to Web browsers, read and write + messages in HTML (HyperText Markup Language, the language which + Web pages are written in). HTML allows colours and (using + JavaScript) animations in ASCII art, but few newsreaders + support it, and those which don't will show a whole lot of + garbage text with your picture hidden inside it. + + So if you have one of these HTML-sending programs, then select + the option which tells it to send messages as PLAIN TEXT only + and turn off "send MIME message". + + If you have a picture which uses HTML for a particular + feature (such as colors or animation), put it on a Web page + and post the URL of the page to alt.ascii-art + + * Is it under 72 characters wide? Most news readers can only show + lines which are under either 72, 76, or 80 characters wide, so + if your picture is wider than 72 characters it may get wrapped + [see Question 4]. Also remove any unnecessary space characters + from the end of each line of the picture, to prevent lines from + being too long (and getting wrapped) without your realizing. + + * If it IS over 72 characters wide? + Then a warning in the subject line [wide:110] or whatever the + original picture width and Check Your Post Output Line-Wrap + settings. [for Outlook see Question 19] + Previous versions of this FAQ used a system to prefix posts + such as: [pic] [info] [req] [big] which may be used as a guide + when providing warnings. + + * Have you used any TAB characters or Control Codes? + Inserting control codes (ASCII characters 0 to 31) in a picture + can sometimes achieve interesting effect on your computer screen + or news reader, such as reversing text or changing its colour. + DO NOT post any of these pictures to news:alt.ascii-art, post to + news:alt.binaries.pictures.ascii instead for two reasons:- + + 1. the effects that the control codes have on your news reader + are almost certainly going to be different from those on + the thousands of other news readers that other people use + + 2. on some news readers, control codes can cause messed up + displays, messages not appearing, or (in some cases) the + news reader crashing. + + * If your first line starts with one or more spaces, stick a + dummy line (such as -- or .) above it, to prevent the spaces + from being ignored by your news program (this only applies to + some news programs, and only to the first line of the + message). + + If you're not sure about whether your message will turn out ok, + post it to a test group (such as news:alt.test or news:misc.test) + first and make sure (using a different newsreader, if you can) that + you can read it ok. + + [See Question 10 for advice on posting someone else's ASCII art.] + +======================================================================== +[13] What to NOT post to alt.ascii-art? [da roolz] +======================================================================== +[13.1] ASCII art is a very simple medium. + _ _ _ _ + ___ (~ )( ~) The following List of Items (~ )( ~) ___ + / \_\ \/ / should NOT be posted to \ \/ /_/ \ + | D_ ]\ \/ the Usenet groups:- \/ /[ _G | + | D _]/\ \ / /\[_ G | + \___/ / /\ \ news:alt.ascii-art / /\ \ \___/ + mark (_ )( _) news:alt.ascii-art.animation (_ )( _) JavE + ~ ~ news:alt.ascii-art.endless.blabla ~ ~ + + news:alt.binaries.pictures.ascii + + NOTE: alt.binaries.pictures.ascii supports posting of ASCII + software tools or fonts (in ZIP format) and binary images + of ASCII or other FontSet (in GIF format) and any other + ASCII art related material, but no Spam, in relation to + discussions in the alt.ascii-art newsgroups. + + -= List of Items =- + + * Binaries, Trojans, Zombies, Virus, Spam. + + * ANSI,`extended ASCII' or `high ASCII', and non-Western font art. + Many computer systems have an extended character set of 256 or + more characters, based on the ANSI, Unicode or BIG5 character + sets and having the first 128 characters possibly identical to + ASCII. These characters should not be sent to news:alt.ascii-art + because many computer system types do not display them properly, + even those that do, do not display them in a standard way, for + example, the Windows ANSI character set is different to the + Macintosh ANSI character set. Capture and send a GIF of it to + news:alt.binaries.pictures.ascii or put it on a Web page + instead, and post a reference to it to news:alt.ascii-art. + Alternatively, post it to news:rec.arts.ascii (see [13.2]). + + * HTML art. HTML, the language used in Web pages, can be used to + add special effects such as colours, font size, and blinking + text to ASCII art, and HTML can be read by some Usenet readers. + However, to many they just appear as a jumble of and are + totally unrecognizable, so don't post HTML to Usenet. Put it on + a Web page instead, and post the address to news:alt.ascii-art. + See http://llizard.crosswinds.net/ascii-art/asciionpage.htm + for instructions on how to do this. + + * ASCII art animated using Java or JavaScript. + This relies, not only on the newsreader being able to display + HTML, but also being able to run Java or JavaScript. + Put it on a Web page instead, and post the address to + news:alt.ascii-art.animation and news:alt.ascii-art + + * Proportional Font ASCII art screws up on many readers' displays + Send a GIF of it to news:alt.binaries.pictures.ascii or + put it on a Web page instead and post a reference to it to + news:alt.ascii-art or post it to news:rec.arts.ascii + + Finally, do not use any control codes, non-ASCII characters, + or word-processor-type formatting in your postings. These are + particular to your editor or computer system they will almost + certainly not have the intended effect on the systems the rest + of us use (they may even crash some Usenet readers). + + ==================================================================== +[13.2] What can I post to rec.arts.ascii? + ==================================================================== + The official charter for rec.arts.ascii, as sent in the newsgroup + control message, is: + + The group news:rec.arts.ascii will be an appropriate group for + postings to include, but not be limited to, the following: + + o All forms of ASCII art including, but not limited to: + - Standard ASCII art. + - Animations. + - ANSI color graphics. + o Discussion about pieces of art. + o Requests for specific pieces of art, and their fulfilment. + o Questions and answers covering: + - Creating and viewing ASCII art. + - Locating FTP sites for ASCII art and related files. + o Discussion about artists in the field. + + rec.arts.ascii is a moderated group meaning that all posts are + reviewed before being sent to the group. That work is done by a + robo-moderator which filters Spam and checks the posts have the + correct format before approving them. It can also target a + specific poster's traffic for human moderator approval. + + Subjects must be tagged either: + [PIC] for pictures + [REQ] for requests for others to draw pictures + (people replying with pictures change the tag to [PIC]) + [DIS] for general ascii art related discussion and replies. + [ADMIN] for the moderator to post important information. + + >> NOTE: Please read:- + >> + >> http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/asciiart/guidelines.txt + >> + >> for concise up-to-date list of permitted subject tags + >> and usage before posting. + + The robo-mod also checks that the posts are in PLAIN TEXT only, + that line length is set to LESS than 80 characters UNLESS the + phrase [long lines] is in the BODY of the post, when the LIMIT + is then raised to 200 characters. + + Cross-posting is permitted provided that: + o - it is to no more than three groups + o - the followup-to header is set to only one group. + Cross-posting to other moderated groups is NOT permitted. + +======================================================================== +[14] How do I convert a picture to ASCII art? +======================================================================== +[14.1] programs: + There are computer programs available which convert graphics files + of a variety of formats (often GIF) to ASCII art. They go by names + such as ascgif, gifa, gifscii, and gif2ascii. Do a Web search for + any of these programs to find places where you can download them. + + Try: + gopher://twinbrook.cis.uab.edu/1A/atools.70 + ftp://ftp.simtel.com/. + http://www.jave.de/. <== new + + Many think that you just put a GIF into a converter program and + out comes a perfect ASCII pic. Here are some things you can do + to improve the chances of getting a good conversion:- + + o Use an 8 bit grey scale or color image instead of a 2 bit B&W. + o Use an image with a wide, even distribution of tones. + o Keep it simple, like a face or close-up of an object. + o Avoid busy backgrounds. Generally avoid bright backgrounds. + o Use an image that is tightly cropped, without a lot of waste. + o Be prepared to quickly run through a series of conversions, + you will probably not like 9 to 11 out of 12. + o It helps to do touch-up work on the converted picture, + concentrate on the focal points and important areas. + +[14.2] tracing: + Another method is by tracing a picture, either onto clear-plastic + and sticking it onto the screen then opening an editor to trace + under or using an editor which allows the loading of a background + image to trace over, a process known as `water-mark'. + +[14.3] image2html: + There are computer programs and web-servers available which convert + graphics files of a variety of formats (often GIF) to HTML colored + TEXT art for use on web-pages. Do a quick search on your favourite + web search-engine. + +======================================================================== +[15] I have a picture and I would like it Asciified? +======================================================================== + In this case, post a request to news:alt.ascii-art asking for + someone to `asciify' it, but + >>> PLEASE DON'T POST THE PICTURE ITSELF <<< + to save downloading time for people reading the messages, + if possible give the URL (Web address) of the picture instead. + + If you saw the picture on a Web page, you can find out its URL by + right-clicking on it (on the Macintosh, right-clicking, + Ctrl-clicking, or holding down the mouse button) and selecting + `Open this image' (or its equivalent for your Web browser), then + copy the URL from the Location bar to your news program (make sure + you copy it exactly). + + If the picture is not on a Web site anywhere, put it up on your own + site (if you have one), or get a friend to put it up on their site, + and post the URL to alt.ascii-art. If you can't do this, post your + request to the newsgroups and wait for someone to reply, then post + the picture to news:alt.binaries.pictures.ascii or e-mail to them. + +======================================================================== +[16] What should I know about signature files? +======================================================================== + A signature file (or `sig' for short; not to be confused with the + initials added to an ASCII picture) is a small, personalized text + file which an e-mail or news program can add to the end of every + message a person sends -- the equivalent of a letterhead for dead + tree (paper) mail (or snail-mail). Usually it contains little more + than the person's name, organization and e-mail address, maybe an + inspirational quote of some sort and some people like to incorporate + ASCII art into their signature files as well. + + _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ ___ \|/ ____ \|/ + | | | ___| | (_) \| | __/ __| @~/ ,. \~@ + |_ _|___| |__| | .` | _|\__ \ /_( \__/ )_\ Mike + |_| |____|_|_|\_|___|___/[Figlet] \__U_/ Jittlov + + The lack of importance in relation to global warming, violence in + society, and so on, can be the subject of heated arguments. To be + brief, (almost) no-one will complain if your signature file is four + lines long or fewer -- and it is quite possible to draw good ASCII + pictures which are that small. + _______________________________________________ + (@) (@) `) There are a lot of web-pages on this with ) + ^ < > ^ ( google search ascii sig. _______) + === `----Richard James-----------------' + + Some e-mail/news programs don't allow you to have a signature file + which is longer than four lines, while others just complain. Five or + six lines may be acceptable, but any longer, and you're starting to + take the risk that your signature will be longer than some of your + e-mail messages; this wouldn't really make sense on paper, so it + isn't really acceptable in cyberspace either. The exception is in + messages posted to news:alt.ascii-art itself -- we're used to seeing + long sigs, so we won't complain. + + -'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.- + + But, no matter what the length of your signature, make sure it's + fewer than 72 characters wide, otherwise it may end up a horrible + mess (see Question 8). + +======================================================================== +[17] What is ascii-animation? +======================================================================== + An animated image produced by a sequence of changing ASCII pictures. + The speed will depend on the system you are using. + ----------------------------------------------------------------- + o \ o / _ o __| \ / |__ o _ \ o / o + /|\ | /\ __\o \o | o/ o/__ /\ | /|\ + / \ / \ | \ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ + ----------------------------------------------------------------- + Ascii-Animation transports vary a lot. The earliest known portable + types used the Control-Codes of the (often .VT or .ANS) terminal + screens for either `paging' or `direct cursor addressing'. + Sometimes found as c-code in .sigs, which, when compiled and run + produce moving patterns or images. + ----------------------------------------------------------------- + o _ _ _ + _o /\_ _ \\o (_)\__/o (_) + _< \_ _>(_) (_)/<_ \_| \ _|/' \/ + (_)>(_) (_) (_) (_) (_)' _\o_ + ----------------------------------------------------------------- + Most Web Ascii-Animation uses Java or Javascript. + + * To find out how to animate ASCII art using JavaScript, see:- + http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Marina/4942/faq_hta.htm + http://llizard.crosswinds.net/ascii-art/animation/animlesson.htm + + * To find out how to animate ASCII art using Java, see:- + http://www.jave.de/. + http://www.jave.de/javeplayer/. + +======================================================================== +[18] What does ObAscii mean? +======================================================================== + ObAscii = Obligatory Ascii + + Obligatory: [adj] compulsory (of a ruling) having binding force + + Ascii: [slang] ascii-art picture + + A funny way to remind people to put a drawing in their post. + + This means an ascii in every post! (especially off-topic threads) + Failure to comply can result in flaming! This implies that if you + don't include an ascii in your post you deserve to get flamed! + + It is to be a new ascii-art which takes longer but allows time to + collect your thoughts and gives bystanders something to look at. + + ==================================================================== + The concept of ObAscii has been around since the creation of the + usenet group news:alt.ascii-art and it's purpose is to provide some + on-topic content to an otherwise off-topic posting. + + ==================================================================== + *NOT* The 1st ever! ObAscii : + ==================================================================== + From: Matthew Thomas + Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 13:50:09 +1300 + Organization: University of Canterbury.nz (opinions are my own) + + ^ + ,' \ [snip - 3rd party flame ] + L""/ + ` | BOLLOCKS!!! + J | + J L I am staying out of this as much as + | | . , possible, Colin, because I really ... + | | `v_L.' + // ,>'--\'_ :. + \`' \ - /-. [snip - rant/rave] + / /`""| :. + ),' `- + ( ,-' \ Anyway, I think a lot of this + ) ,' ,' h flaming would decrease if everyone + / / / `)--.. was required to post a (different) + \/ / \ <) obligatory ASCII pic in each message + < , L<' -- at the very least, it would slow + F/ _/ ,' the flames down. + L ,-' \ + | ___L So, to start the trend, here's my + / ( F + J ___,' L ObAscii: the Statue of Liberty. + | ,' | + F ,' | + (_,--..__ mt-2|_ + ,' `"`--.._\ + ,' / \ + / (_ + [snip - .sig of Matthew Thomas] + +======================================================================== +[19] The ASCII Art Rough-Guide to m$.Outlook? +======================================================================== + Microsoft's Outlook Express program has a number of flaws, including + * deleting spaces from the beginning of lines, and + * inserting the word `file://' in unexpected places + which make it very difficult to send ASCII art properly. Whether + these are bugs or features we don't know, but we do know that + Microsoft would rather ASCII art as a medium just disappeared (see + http://cgi.pathfinder.com/time/digital/daily/0,2822,13735,00.html + for more information). A registry patch to fix some of the flaws + in Outlook Express is available from the ADA. + + +how to get rid of blue-lines in OE5: + + 1. Press the decode button twice when viewing a blue-struck image. + Because, after ROT13, OE will not parse links and so 2 x ROT13 + returns everything back to normal, but without the blue lines. + 2. Create a button in your toolbar so you can do it quickly. + + In OE 5.5-6.0 the URL parsing code is slightly better and + doesn't foul as many images as previous versions. + + +How to stop Ms.Outlook giving wrapped output + + or the ascii-art you are sending is wider than 72 characters: + + 1. Tools menu + 2. Options + 3. Send + 4. Both of these Mail and News format + 5. Plain text settings ____ + 6. Automatically wrap text at |____| + + +How to set your Outlook Express 6 to view ASCII art correctly: + + 1. On the TOOLS menu, click OPTIONS + 2. Select the READ tab + 3. International settings + 4. "Use default encoding for all incoming messages" [tick] + 5. Set the FONTS to display as western european. + set both the PROPORTIONAL font and FIXED-WIDTH font to + LUCIDA CONSOLE, and FONT SIZE to SMALLER + 6. Click OK, then OK again. + + +How to set your Outlook Express 5 to view ASCII art correctly: + + 1. On the TOOLS menu, click OPTIONS + 2. Select the READ tab + 3. Click the FONTS button near the bottom of the box + 4. For the languages UNICODE, WESTERN EUROPEAN and USER DEFINED + set both the PROPORTIONAL font and FIXED-WIDTH font to + LUCIDA CONSOLE, and FONT SIZE to SMALLER + 5. Click OK, then OK again. + + +How to set your Outlook Express 4 to view ASCII art correctly: + + 1. On the TOOLS menu, click OPTIONS + 2. Select the READ tab + 3. Click the FONTS button near the bottom of the box + 4. For the languages UNIVERSAL ALPHABET, USER DEFINED and WESTERN + set both the PROPORTIONAL font and FIXED-WIDTH font to + LUCIDA CONSOLE, and FONT SIZE to SMALLER + 5. Click OK, then OK again. + + + NOTE : If LUCIDA CONSOLE is not available as a font, pick another + from the list of available FIXED-WIDTH fonts. + + Examples of fixed-width fonts 1. ANDALE MONO + commonly available with ms.windows: 2. COURIER NEW + 3. LUCIDA CONSOLE + 4. LUCIDA SANS TYPEWRITER + 5. OCR A EXTENDED + + If you have followed the above steps correctly, you should now + be able to view and create ASCII art as it should be. + +======================================================================== +[20] Where do I find ASCII art pictures, tutorials and information? +======================================================================== + There are a number of ASCII art Usenet groups:- + + news:alt.ascii-art + news:alt.ascii-art.animation + news:alt.ascii-art.endless.blabla + news:alt.binaries.pictures.ascii + news:rec.arts.ascii + + are English-speaking ones that are widely used. + + alt.ascii-art [original ASCII art discussion group] + alt.ascii-art.animation [is about animating ASCII art] + alt.ascii-art.endless.blabla [an off-topic follow-up troll-trap] + alt.binaries.pictures.ascii [ASCII art sofware/image drop-zone] + rec.arts.ascii [primary moderated ASCII art group] + + Lots of ASCII artists put up libraries of their own and others' + ASCII art on their Web sites, as well as tutorials on how to draw + ASCII art: + + The DMOZ Open Directory Project ASCII art sites: + http://dmoz.org/Arts/ASCII/. + + Allen Mullen has links to many of these sites at: + http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2695/links.htm. + + The Ascii-Art Library at: The Ascii-Art dot com at: + http://www.ascii-art.de http://www.ascii-art.com + + The Ascii-Art Document Archive (address as listed in the header) + + There is an on-line panel of experts at: The ASCIItorium + http://www.ludd.luth.se/~vk/cgi/asciichat/ + + And webrings: + http://artcode.org/ascii/index.php + http://webring.org/ascii/ + + Also IRCascii.8bit: + http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Marina/4942/ascii.htm + http://www.bluedwarf.net/ (irc.bluedwarf.net#ascii) + http://www.remorse.org/ (irc.efnet#ascii) + + +======================================================================== +[21] Historacle: from the old-old FAQ v1.2 March 14, 1994 +======================================================================== + What types of ascii-art are there? + + o Linedrawing - like stickmen + o Lettering - like Figlet does + o Grey scale pictures - These create the illusion of grey shades + by using letters for their light emitting value. + Here is an example of how they break down by light intensity: + (Jorn Barger's light value scale) + + Darker .'`,^:";~ Lighter + bright /|\ -_+<>i!lI? /|\ dark + letters | /\|()1{}[] | letters + on rcvunxzjft on + dark | LCJUYXZO0Q | bright + background \|/ oahkbdpqwm \|/ background + Lighter *WMB8&%$#@ Darker + + o 3-D images - Can be viewable by people with similar vision in + both eyes. You try to focus as if you are looking at the back + of the monitor. The image should pop into focus and create a + 3-D illusion. Other 3-D images are viewed by putting your nose + on the monitor glass. + o Geometric Article - Text is formed into meaningful shapes. + o Picture Poem - A geometric article that is also a poem. + o Page Making - Text and graphics are intermixed, as in a magazine. + o Picture Story - A story told with accompanying ASCII pictures. + o Color - You can view color ASCII pics, if you have a color screen + and 'ANSI' color compatible software, or Web access using HTML. + o Color Graphics - You can view color ASCII pics if you have color + o Animation - take a look at [dead-link snipped] + o Color Animation - take a look at [dead-link snipped] + o Scroll Animation - This is an animation that is made to be viewed + by scrolling down. The image plays out as the screen is redrawn + with the next 'page' of the image. + o Overstrike Art - It contains carriage returns without line feeds + at times. The print head can overstrike a line on the paper that + has already been printed on. This allows for darkening, and for + placing different characters at the same place on the paper. + This kind of art is obviously only printed. + +======================================================================== +[X1] +-------------------THE ASCII ART FAQ TEN COMMANDMENTS------------------- + + \\\\`/// + / _ _| 1. Thou shalt read the FAQ. + (\'('\/') 2. Thou shalt not remove the + ______/( >(__ initials from any ASCII art. + /`- \ \_=__| `\ 3. Thou shalt not claim ownership + / /__( _____\ _____ of someone else's ASCII art. + /_ \.____ ," "." ",__ 4. Thou shalt read the FAQ. +| / _\__/_ - / \ 5. Thou shalt ask permission +\/ /____ \ASCII ART FAQ /// before using someone else's + ) / / \__\ - | ASCII art. + '-.__|_/ ///| I VI | 6. Thou shalt not sell someone + \_ | | | else's ASCII art. + | | II VII | 7. Thou shalt read the darn FAQ. + \ | | | 8. Thou shalt not post someone + / | III VIII | else's ASCII art without making + \ | | | clear that you didn't make it. + \_ | IV IX | 9. Thou shalt not assume that + \| | | ASCII art isn't art at all. + | V X | 10. Thou shalt read the FAQing FAQ. + |______b'ger______| + +======================================================================== +|||| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||| + END O F T H E A S C I I A R T FAQ +|||| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||| + +File: academy/faqs/faq_thomas.txt +http://www.ascii-art.de/info/faq_thomas.txt + +━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ +FAQ: New to ASCII art? Read me first! + +__ __ __ _ +\\ \\ / ___ '|| ___ ___ __ _ _ ___ _/|_ ___ + \\ /\\ / //_\) || // \)// \\ ||'||'|| //_\) || // \\ + \/ \/ \\__,_||_\\__,\\_//_||_||_||_\\__, \|_\\_// + + + ___ __ ___ () () ___ _,_ _/|_ + __\\ (/_'// \)'||'|| ==== __\\'||\) || + ((_||_,_/)\\__,_||_||_ ((_||_||_ \|_ + +Answers to frequently asked questions in the ASCII art discussion groups +* news:alt.ascii-art * news:alt.ascii-art.animation * news:rec.arts.ascii + +Author: Matthew Thomas +Version: 2.0 +Last changed: 1998-05-10 + +NOTE: If you are new to Usenet News, please read the messages in +news.announce.newusers before posting to any discussion groups. + +This FAQ is regularly posted to the newsgroups news:alt.ascii-art , +news:rec.arts.ascii , and news:alt.ascii-art.animation. +It is also available at the following locations: +* http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/faq.htm +* http://artpacks.acid.org/faqs/faq-altasciiart.html +* http://vibes.vossnet.co.uk/i/ighaig/ascfaq.htm. +* http://www.ascii-art.de/ascii/faq.html +* http://fmf.ml.org/~shimrod/asciiart/FAQ.html +* http://www.gwtc.net/~bakd/asciifaq.html +━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ + +Contents + + 1. What is ASCII art? + 2. What isn't ASCII art? + 3. What goes on in the ASCII art discussion groups? + 4. How do I view ASCII art? + 5. How do I draw my own ASCII art? + 6. What should I know before posting ASCII art? + 7. Can I post to ask for some text drawn in ASCII? + 8. Can I post to ask for an ASCII art picture? + 9. How do I get an existing picture converted to ASCII art? + 10. Can I post or use other people's ASCII art? + 11. What should I know about signature files? + 12. Where can I find more ASCII art? + +━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ + + 1. What is ASCII art? + + ASCII art is any kind of artwork -- pictures, charts, cartoons, + whatever -- drawn with the characters in the ASCII character set. + + The ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) + character set is a set of 128 characters (0 to 127) which are standard + on almost all types of computer. The only characters used in ASCII art + are those with the values 32 to 126, which are shown below, and 13, + which represents a carriage return (new line). The other characters in + the ASCII character set (0-12, 13-31, and 127) are control codes for + representing things such as `end of file' and `backspace'; they should + not be used in ASCII art. + + 032 [space] 048 0 064 @ 080 P 096 ` 112 p + 033 ! 049 1 065 A 081 Q 097 a 113 q + 034 " 050 2 066 B 082 R 098 b 114 r + 035 # 051 3 067 C 083 S 099 c 115 s + 036 $ 052 4 068 D 084 T 100 d 116 t + 037 % 053 5 069 E 085 U 101 e 117 u + 038 & 054 6 070 F 086 V 102 f 118 v + 039 ' 055 7 071 G 087 W 103 g 119 w + 040 ( 056 8 072 H 088 X 104 h 120 x + 041 ) 057 9 073 I 089 Y 105 i 121 y + 042 * 058 : 074 J 090 Z 106 j 122 z + 043 + 059 ; 075 K 091 [ 107 k 123 { + 044 , 060 < 076 L 092 \ 108 l 124 | + 045 - 061 = 077 M 093 ] 109 m 125 } + 046 . 062 > 078 N 094 ^ 110 n 126 ~ + 047 / 063 ? 079 O 095 _ 111 o + + These characters are almost completely standard, except for a few + slight variations which you should keep in mind when drawing and + viewing ASCII art: + + # (hash/pound): + a hash sign on most computers, a pound (£- currency) sign on some + British ones + | (bar): + a vertical line in most fonts, but in some it is split in the + middle + ^ (caret): + differs in size depending on the font used + ~ (tilde): + appears in the middle of the line in some fonts, at the top in + others + ' (apostrophe/single quote): + tilts southwest-northeast in some fonts, is vertical in others + (this also applies to the comma ,). + + Here's a small example of ASCII art using some of these variable + characters: a snow-scene paperweight, drawn by Joan Stark. How good it + looks will depend to some extent on which font and computer system you + are using to view it. + + ____ + .-" +' "-. + /.'.'A_'*`.\ + |:.*'/\-\. ':| + |:.'.||"|.'*:| + \:~^~^~^~^:/ + /`-....-'\ + jgs / \ + `-.,____,.-' + + People use ASCII art for a variety of reasons, some of which are: + * it is the most universal computer art form in the world -- every + computer system capable of displaying multi-line text can display + ASCII art, without needing to have a graphics mode or support a + particular graphics file format; + * an ASCII picture is also hundreds of times smaller in file size than + its GIF or BMP equivalent, while still giving a good idea of what + something looks like; + * it is easy to copy from one file to another; + * it's fun to do! + + 2. What isn't ASCII art? + + The following specialized artforms are not ASCII art and are not + welcome in the ASCII art discussion groups. + + 1. ANSI or `extended ASCII' art. Many computer systems have an + extended character set of 256 or more characters, based on the + ANSI or Unicode character sets and having the first 128 characters + identical to ASCII. These characters should not be used in ASCII + art because many types of computer system do not support them, and + even those that do may not display them in a standard way (for + example, the Windows ANSI character set is different from the Mac + ANSI character set). + 2. HTML art. HTML, the language used in Web pages, can be used to add + special effects such as colours, font size, and blinking text to + ascii art, and HTML can be read by some newsreaders. However, the + key word here is `some'. To many newsreaders, HTML art will just + appear as a jumble of and will be totally unrecognizable. + + If you want to create HTML art, do so by all means, but put it on + a Web page and post the page address (URL) to the appropriate + discussion group. Advice on how to do this can be found at http:// + www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/9334/asciionpage.htm. + + 3. ASCII art animated using JavaScript. This relies not only on the + newsreader being able to display HTML, but also being able to run + JavaScript. As with HTML art, put it on a Web page and post the + address to news:alt.ascii-art.animation. + + Not all "ASCII" is ASCII! Certain computer operating systems use their + own specific character sets which are modified hybrids of the original + 128-character ASCII set. These "strains", if you will, have been + deceivingly dubbed as "Extended ASCII" or "High ASCII" as they have + added symbols beyond the first 128. Realize that while these extra + characters may seem to give you more flexibility in your artwork, you + are severely limiting your viewing audience to those who use the same + operating system as you -- thus defeating the purpose of ASCII + entirely! + + Please refrain from using these special characters in addition to the + 33 special control codes in the real ASCII character set. Remaining + within the 32-126 range benefits everyone in a multitude of ways. Not + only by maximizing the number of potential viewers, but it also + ensures proper interpretation of your artwork by others and will alter + the way they perceive your abilities. This is just one of the + necessary disciplines of becoming a true ASCII artists. [RaD Man] + + + 3. What goes on in the ASCII art discussion groups?? + + In the ASCII art discussion groups people discuss ASCII art, post + ASCII pictures, post improved versions or variations of pictures other + people have drawn, and generally have fun. + + Types of messages which we usually enjoy seeing include: + + □ look, here's an ASCII picture I drew ... + □ REQ: xyz (ie, has anyone got any ASCII pictures of xyz?) + □ suggestions on, or improvements of, other people's ASCII pictures + □ hey-guys-love-your-work-type messages! + + Types of messages which we usually don't enjoy seeing include: + + □ messages with the subject `ASCII art' (try to be a bit more + informative, please) + □ make money fast!!! ... (yawn, yawn, snore) + □ heres the adress of my web site, come see it pleez (why should + we?) + □ don't read this, this is a test (that's what alt.test, misc.test, + and many other `test' newsgroups are for) + + There are three ASCII art discussion groups. + + 1. news:alt.ascii-art is the main group, where most of the discussion + takes place. + 2. news:rec.arts.ascii is identical in purpose to news:alt.ascii-art, + but it is a moderated group -- all messages pass through an + intermediary (the moderator) who checks them for appropriateness + before sending them to the group itself. The advantage of this is + that there isn't any unwanted advertising in the group; however, + the frequency of postings to news:rec.arts.ascii is very low at + the time of writing (it was resurrected in November 1997 after the + previous moderator, Bob Allison (`Scarecrow') retired in December + 1996). + + If your news server isn't set up to allow direct posting to + news:rec.arts.ascii, e-mail your message to the moderator, Don + Bertino . + + 3. news:alt.ascii-art.animation is specifically for discussion and + postings of animated ASCII art [see Question 12]. + + + 4. How do I view ASCII art? + + If a picture you see posted to this newsgroup looks like a complete + mess to you, don't panic. There are several reasons why it may look + weird. + + □ If none of the pictures in the newsgroup look like what the sender + describes them as, then you're probably using a proportional font. + To view (and draw) ASCII art, you must use a fixed-width font -- + one where all characters are the same width (like on a + typewriter). If you're not sure if your font is fixed-width or + not, check the following two lines and see if they're the same + length. + + iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii| + mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm| + + If they aren't, find the option in your news reader which lets you + specify which font to use. If you just have a choice between + proportional and fixed width, choose fixed width. If you have a + choice of which font to use, try different ones until you find a + fixed-width one (using the `i's and `m's above as a guide). + Popular fixed width fonts include Courier, Monaco, and Fixedsys; + anything with `fixed' or `terminal' will probably be fixed-width. + + Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) supply newsreaders to their + customers which, strange as it seems, don't allow them to use a + fixed-width font. If this applies to you, there's not much you can + do except to ask them for a newsreader which does, or switch ISPs. + + □ If there are a lot of almost-blank lines in the picture, then the + message is probably suffering from `wrapping'. This wrapping may + be being done by your newsreader; see if it has an option called + `wrap long lines' or similar, and make sure it is turned off. If + this doesn't work, then the wrapping was probably done by the news + program of the person who sent the picture, in which case there's + not much you can do -- everybody else will be seeing the same + thing. + □ If there are a lot of < and > symbols in the picture, with words + like HTML, FONT COLOR, B, I, and so on inside them, then the + picture has been sent in HTML format (see Question 2), and your + newsreader does not understand HTML (most newsreaders don't). + □ If you still can't work out what the picture is supposed to be, + try reducing the font size (if you can), and moving a couple of + metres away. If it still looks unrecognizable, then it's probably + a problem with the news program used by the person who sent the + message -- or maybe it's just a really bad picture! + + 5. How do I draw my own ASCII art? + + You don't need a special program to draw ASCII art with. It can be + drawn using any text editor, such as SimpleText or BBEdit in MacOS, + Notepad in Windows, nedit, vi, or pico in Unix, BEd or AZ in AmigaOS, + edit in DOS, or any of the various Emacs editors. You can use a word + processor to draw ASCII art, but remember: (1) use a fixed-width font + (see Question 4); and (2) using any special formatting (bold/italic/ + coloured etc) is a waste of time, as it will be lost when you post the + picture. + + There are some features of editors/word processors which can help when + drawing ASCII art. + + □ Overtype, also known as overstrike: removes the need for you to + constantly realign characters using the Backspace, Space, and + Delete keys. Try the Insert key if there is one on your keyboard, + or look in your program's Options or Preferences. + □ Rectangular copy and paste: allows you to select rectangular + sections of text (not just rows or parts of rows). On programs + which have this feature, it is usually done by holding down a key + such as Ctrl while selecting text. + □ Find/Change: allows you to change all the characters of one type + to another (eg all the ~s to "s). + + But before you start, a word about fonts. For ASCII art you should use + a fixed-width font (see Question 4), because every type of computer + system is guaranteed to have one, and that after all is one of the + main reasons ASCII art exists -- because everyone can view it. + Different fixed-width fonts do vary slightly in the height of the + characters, but for most drawings this doesn't matter that much. + + DON'T try to post pictures drawn in a proportional-width (ie + non-fixed- width) font: even if you specify the exact font you used, + the chances of other people being able to read it are pretty slim + (even `standard' proportional fonts such as Times New Roman can vary + in width from computer to computer). + + The other thing to be aware of with fonts is the difference between + serif and sans serif. Here's roughly how an `m' looks in both: + + __ __ __ __ __ + |/ \ / \ |/ \ / \ + | | | | | | + | | | | | | + _|_ _|_ _|_ | | | + + Serif Sans serif + + The serif version has little strokes, or serifs, at the end of most of + the main strokes, while the sans serif version doesn't (sans means + `without'). For example, Courier is a serif font, and Monaco is sans + serif. This isn't often important, but if you're using a sans serif + font, just remember to use the vertical bar (|, above \ on most + keyboards) to draw vertical lines, and not the capital i (I), + otherwise it will look weird for people using serif fonts. It also + means that you should think carefully before using characters like L + and 7 for various corners -- they won't always look that good with a + serif font. + + One way to make drawing ASCII art easier is to type a row of spaces + for however wide you want your picture, and then copy this row and + paste it for however many rows high you think your art will get. Then + turn overtype on, stick your cursor somewhere in the middle, and + you're ready to draw. + + If nothing springs to mind immediately, start with the ASCII art + equivalent of the stick figure: + + O + /H\ Person + / \ + + Fiddle with it, and see what you can do... + + A _ o _ + O Person wearing O` _O_ (< = Person about + /H\ a dunce's hat /H\ Professor XHX Angel /H-' to eat a + / \ / \ / \ / \ sandwich...? + + Gradually you'll be able to add things like scenery around the person: + + ___ ,---. + / __\/---. ._, + / \@-. -(_)- + @ ' ` Person playing a banjo + ,P while sitting against a + d'O_, MT palm tree ... + ____@/|/________ + ::::@\O_,::::::: + :::::::::::::::: + + Draw your cat, your toaster, your musical instruments, your partner, + anything that will sit still long enough -- practice makes, if not + perfect, then at least pretty good. Whether you do small drawings + (less work involved) or large ones (easier to make a drawing + recognizable) is up to you. + + The things which give beginning ASCII artists the most trouble are + usually diagonal lines and circles. Here are some lines of various + angles: + + | | / ,' ,-' _,-' + | .' / ,' ,-' _,-' + | | / ,' ,-' _,-' __..--"" + | .' / ,' ,-' _,-' __..--"" + | | / ,' ,-' ,-' __..--"" _______________ + + And here are a few circular shapes: + + _____ __ + .-' `-. ,dP""Yb, + .' `. ,d" "b, + / \ d' _ `Y, + _ ; ; 8 8 `b + __ ,'" "`. | | `b,_,aP P + __ ,' `. / \ ; ; """" d' + .' `. / | | | \ / ,P" + _ | | | / \ / `. .' a,.__,aP" + . o (_) `.__.' `.__.' `.___.' `-._____.-' `"""'' + + The spiral is a good example of anti-aliasing -- using the particular + shape of some characters (especially b, d, and P) to smooth the edge + of a solid shape. + + A final point: don't use the Tab key. Pressing Tab will go along a + certain number of spaces in your editor/word processor -- but that + `certain number' is different for different newsreaders, editors, and + so on, so your picture may suffer from what is known as `tab damage' + when other people try to view it. Just use spaces instead. + + Here are a couple links to existing ASCII art tutorials: + http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/dcau.htm (Daniel Au's Tutorial) + http://www.inetw.net/~mullen/asciiart.htm (Allen Mullen's Site- + several tutorials) + + + + 6. What should I know before posting ASCII art? + + It doesn't matter if it's not particularly good -- we'd like to see it + anyway. We won't be rude about it (although you'd better tell us what + it is, or we might ask :-), but if it shows potential, you may find + that other people will `re-diddle' it -- change a few characters, make + it a bit better, and re-post it. + + HOWEVER, there are a few things you should check before you post any + piece of ASCII art. + + □ Are you sending it as plain text? Some news programs, particularly + those built in to Web browsers, read and write messages in HTML + (HyperText Markup Language, the language which Web pages are + written in). HTML allows colours and (using JavaScript) animations + in ASCII art, but few newsreaders support it, and those which + don't will show a whole lot of garbage text with your picture + hidden inside it. + + So if you have one of these HTML-sending programs, PLEASE select + the option which tells it to send messages as plain text only. If + you have a picture which uses HTML for a particular feature (such + as colours or animation), put it on a Web page, and post the URL + of the page to alt.ascii-art, rather than posting the whole + picture. + + □ Is it under 72 characters wide? Most news readers can only show + lines which are under either 72, 76, or 80 characters wide, so if + your picture is wider than 72 characters it may get wrapped (see + Question 4). Also remove any unnecessary space characters from the + end of each line of the picture, to prevent lines from being too + long (and getting wrapped) without your realizing. + + + □ Have you used any control codes? Inserting control codes (ASCII + characters 0 to 31) in a picture can sometimes achieve interesting + effects on your computer screen or news reader, such as reversing + text, changing its colour, and so on. DO NOT post any of these + pictures to alt.ascii-art, for two reasons: + 1. the effects that the control codes have on your news reader + are almost certainly going to be different from those on the + thousands of other news readers that other people use + 2. on some news readers, control codes can cause messed up + displays, messages not appearing, or (in some cases) the news + reader crashing. + □ If your first line starts with one or more spaces, stick a dummy + line (such as -- or .) above it, to prevent the spaces from being + ignored by your news program (this only applies to some news + programs, and only to the first line of the message). + + If you're not sure about whether your message will turn out ok, post + it to a test newsgroup (such as news:alt.test or news:misc.test) first + and make sure (using a different newsreader, if you can) that you can + read it ok. + + [See Question 10 for advice on posting someone else's ASCII art.] + + + 7. Can I post to ask for some text drawn in ASCII? + + Probably not, unless we're REALLY bored. The reason for this is that + there is a program called Figlet which does that sort of thing + automatically -- you type in `Jane Smith', and you get back + + ___ __, + ( / ( o _/_ / + / __, _ _ `. _ _ , / /_ + _/_(_/(_/ /_(/_ (___)/ / /_(_(__/ /_ + // + (/ + + in this and a whole lot of other fonts (lettering styles). The ASCII + text-art produced by Figlet can be quite stunning, so it's best to try + it first before asking for help from the newsgroup. + + The Figlet home page is at http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/chai/ + figlet.html. This site links to the FTP site ftp://ftp.internexus.net/ + pub/figlet where you can download versions of the program for many + different platforms. + + If you have a Web browser which has form support (most browsers do), + you can run Figlet on the Internet by going to one of the following + sites and choosing your text and options on the Web page. Different + sites offer different options (eg multiple fonts at once, + justification, line length etc). Some of these sites also provide an + e-mail Figlet service for people with browsers which don't support + forms. + + □ http://www.surfplaza.com/figlet/ + □ http://wwwcn.cern.ch/~rigaut/FigletJava.html + □ http://www.schnoggo.com/figlet.html + □ http://www.inf.utfsm.cl/cgi-bin/figlet/ + □ http://saigon.mit.edu/dinhyen/figlet/figlet.html + □ http://www.mediacube.de/cgi-bin/moniteurs/figlet/ + □ http://www.sconnect.net/figlet/index.cgi + □ http://boulder.Colorado.EDU/~kai/figlet.html + □ http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/cgi-bin/bwagner/FIGLET/figlet.pl + □ http://www.se.cuhk.edu.hk/~mcchau3/cgi-bin/express.html + □ http://www.webserve.com/gateways/figletgateway.pl + + (Thanks to Shimrod and Veronica Karlsson for the original list.) + + If Figlet doesn't produce the kind of results you want, THEN you can + post to the newsgroup with your request. Make sure that you include: + + □ the fact that you have already tried Figlet, or don't have access + to it + (otherwise you will probably just get told to use it) + □ a description of the kind of lettering you want, along with any + other symbols or logos which you would like incorporated into it. + + + + 8. Can I post to ask for an ASCII art picture? + + Yes, if we find it interesting. Give your request the subject `REQ: + xyz' if you're looking for a picture of an xyz, then in the message + describe more exactly what you're looking for. Generally, the more + specific you are, the more likely you are to get someone to draw what + you want: if you just say something like `can someone draw me a fish' + then you're not likely to get many replies, because people won't be + sure whether or not they're wasting their time by drawing something + you won't want. If you don't have Web access, mention this fact, + otherwise you may get replies consisting only of URLs for the kind of + pictures you're looking for. + + + + 9. How do I get an existing picture converted to ASCII art? + + There are computer programs which convert graphics files of a + particular format (usually GIF) to ASCII art. They go by names such as + ascgif, gifa, gifscii, and gif2ascii. Do a Web search for any of these + programs to find places where you can download them. Try: + + □ gopher://twinbrook.cis.uab.edu/1A/atools.70 + □ ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/Scarecrow/Gifscii/. + + However, the output from these programs is often not good (fiddling + with the picture in an image-editing program beforehand may help). In + this case, you can post a request to the newsgroup asking for someone + to `asciify' it, but please don't post the picture itself. To save + downloading time for people reading the messages, if possible give the + URL (Web address) of the picture instead. + + If you saw the picture on a Web page, you can find out its URL by + right- clicking on it (on the Macintosh, holding down the mouse + button) and selecting `Open this image' (or its equivalent for your + Web browser), then copy the URL from the Location bar to your news + program (make sure you copy it exactly). + + If the picture is not on a Web site anywhere, put it up on your own + site (if you have one), or get a friend to put it up on their site, + and post the URL to alt.ascii-art. If you can't do this, post your + request to alt.ascii-art and wait for an artist to reply, then e-mail + the picture to them. + + + 10. Can I post or use other people's ASCII art? + + Don't assume that if somebody posts something to a newsgroup, that + gives you the right to use it however you like; copyright laws still + apply. For more information, see the article `Copyright Myths FAQ: 10 + big myths about copyright explained' in news:news.announce.newusers. + (It is also available at http://www.clari.net/brad/copymyths.html.) + + ASCII art is often an exception to this rule, though: generally, ASCII + artists don't mind if you copy their pictures and repost them or put + them on your own Web site for your personal use. There are a few + important conditions, however. + + □ If the picture contains a few letters in one corner which don't + seem to be part of the picture, they're the artist's initials. DO + NOT remove these initials -- would you cut away the part of a Van + Gogh painting containing his name? Leaving the initials on is a + small price to pay for being able to use the picture for free. + □ If you're going to use a picture in your signature file, or in a + place (such as a log-in screen) which means you're going to be + using it a lot, you should really e-mail the artist (or post to + the newsgroup, if you don't know their address) and ask for + permission, because otherwise people may get the mistaken + impression that you were the one who drew the picture. + + As for posting other people's ASCII art, after a discussion in + news:alt.ascii-art the following rules were agreed upon: + + 1. If an ASCII ART picture has initials on it, leave them on when + posting it. + 2. If an ASCII ART picture doesn't have initials on it, mention that + you didn't draw it when posting it. + 3. If somebody posts a picture without initials and you have an + original copy with initials, feel free to repost the original + version. The repost ought not to be taken personally, as we all + know that ASCII art often loses proper credits. Responses to the + repost are not necessary. + + [Donovan] + + + + 11. What should I know about signature files? + + A signature file (or `sig' for short) is a small, personalized text + file which an e-mail or news program adds to the end of every message + a person sends -- the equivalent of a letterhead for dead-tree (paper) + mail. Usually it contains little more than the person's name, + organization, and e-mail address, and an inspirational quote of some + sort; but some people like to incorporate ASCII art into their + signature files as well. + + The biggest problem that this causes is the number of lines that the + signature file takes up. This is a topic which, despite its lack of + importance in relation to global warming, violence in society, and so + on, can be the subject of heated arguments. To summarize, (almost) + no-one will complain if your signature file is four lines long or + fewer -- and it is quite possible to draw good ASCII pictures which + are that small. Some examples are at: + + □ http://wwwtios.cs.utwente.nl/~kenter/sigs.html + □ http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/sigs.htm. + + Some e-mail programs don't allow you to have a signature file which is + longer than four lines, while others just complain. Five or six lines + is usually acceptable, but any longer, and you're starting to take the + risk that your signature will be longer than some of your e-mail + messages; this wouldn't really make sense on paper, so it isn't really + acceptable in cyberspace either. The exception is in messages posted + to alt.ascii-art itself -- we're used to seeing long sigs, so we won't + complain. + + But no matter what the length of your signature, make sure it's fewer + than 72 characters wide, otherwise it may end up a horrible mess -- + see Question 6. + + + 12. Where can I find more ASCII art? + + Lots of ASCII artists put up libraries of their own and others' ASCII + art on their Web sites, + as well as tutorials on how to draw ASCII art. Allen Mullen has links + to many of these sites at + http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2695/links.htm. + Yahoo also has a page dedicated to ASCII art, at http://www.yahoo.com/ + Arts/Visual_Arts/Computer_Generated/ASCII_Art/. + And try Joan Stark's Web site: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/. + + To find out how to animate ASCII art using JavaScript, see + http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Marina/4942/faq_hta.htm + http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/9334/animlesson.htm. + +THE END + +━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ +This document may be freely copied as long as Matthew Thomas is identified +as the original author. + + +-------------------THE ASCII ART FAQ TEN COMMANDMENTS------------------- + + \\\\`/// + / _ _| 1. Thou shalt read the FAQ. + (\'('\/') 2. Thou shalt not remove the + ______/( >(__ initials from any ASCII art. + /`- \ \_=__| `\ 3. Thou shalt not claim ownership + / /__( _____\ _____ of someone else's ASCII art. + /_ \.____ ," "." ",__ 4. Thou shalt read the FAQ. +| / _\__/_ - / \ 5. Thou shalt ask permission +\/ /____ \ASCII ART FAQ /// before using someone else's + ) / / \__\ - | ASCII art. + '-.__|_/ ///| I VI | 6. Thou shalt not sell someone + \_ | | | else's ASCII art. + | | II VII | 7. Thou shalt read the darn FAQ. + \ | | | 8. Thou shalt not post post someone + / | III VIII | else's ASCII art without making + \ | | | clear that you didn't make it. + \_ | IV IX | 9. Thou shalt not assume that + \| | | ASCII art isn't art at all. + | V X | 10. Thou shalt read the FAQing FAQ. + |______b'ger______| + +-----------[Joris Bellenger, Colin Douthwaite, Matthew Thomas]----------