Slackmaster2K
Gone
I burned the first official release candidate tonight. Found a few minor errors on it already and fixed them....but I can still ship this one to the testers.
The multisession stuff is working great. The CD's are playing right now in my CD player, and earlier I was browsing the enhanced content quite successfully.
Here is a text copy of the FAQ that will be shipping on the CD (save a few minor changes perhaps):
----------- The HomeRecording.Comp FAQ! ------------------
This list of frequently asked questions should address most common questions regarding the use and creation of HomeRecording.Comp Volume One.
Contents:
Running the CD
Q: How do I start the CD from my computer?
Q: What software do I need?
Q: Why do I need a browser?
Q: What kind of computer do I need?
Q: Why didn't you use Macromedia Flash? All the cool Enhanced CD's were developed with Flash or Quicktime!
Q: The introduction movie isn't working!
Q: The background loops are hiccupping. It sounds like there's a pause between each loop.
Q: Using the back and forward buttons on my Microsoft Mouse cause the background music to start playing, even after I've disabled it!
Q: I can't resize the window!
Q: One of the product links isn't working properly!
Q: This thing just isn't working at all! What's up?
Q: What if I find an error/bug on the CD?
Q: How come these CD's won't play in my car CD player?
Q: How should I take care of these CD's?
HomeRecording.Comp Information
Q: My CD says "Limited Edition", what does this mean?
Q: Who came up with the name HomeRecording.Comp name?
Q: Who's this Todd Arnold who took the cover shot?
Q: What is this term Homerec'ers I've been hearing?
Q: I've been hearing about this damn CD for so long. What was the holdup? All of this material is now old news!
Q: Where'd you get the background music on the CD?
Q: Were the producers of this CD directly affiliated with HomeRecording.Com?
Q: Can I use some of the material from this CD for my own endeavors?
Q: What's this "group of contributors?"
Q: Are there hidden items on the CD?
Q: Is the extra stuff on both CD's the same?
HomeRecording.Comp Creation and Specifics
Q: What's the number one thing you've learned about creating a compilation CD?
Q: How did you handle the legal end of this thing?
Q: Where can I find some good information about duplicating and printing CDR's on the net?
Q: How did you make the mixer controls move around when I move the mouse over them?
Q: How did you make the VU meter move with the music?
Q: Where did you find these nifty graphics?
Q: How did you do the scroll buttons?
Q: Which browser is easier to develop for?
Q: How did you ensure that the CD would work on both Macintosh and PC platforms?
Q: How did you put audio and data together on the same CD?
Q: How did you make the CD start automatically when I inserted it into my CDROM drive? (PC Only)
Q: I was rooting around in the CD and noticed some of your code, it's ugly!
Q: Did you use an HTML editor at all?
--Running the CD--
Q: How do I start the CD from my computer?
A: On most Microsoft Windows PC's, simply insert either of the HomeRecording.Comp CD's into the CDROM drive, and the welcome page should automatically appear after a few seconds.
If the CD doesn't automatically run, or you are on a Macintosh, open the file "RUN.HTM" from the root of the CD.
Q: What software do I need?
A: Internet Explorer 5.0 or better is required. Netscape and various other browsers are not supported.
Installing Windows Media Player is also recommend (installer included on the CD) for MPEG4 and MP3 support. This is especially important on a Macintosh, since Quicktime does not support MPEG4 at this time.
Q: Why do I need a browser? I'm not even using the Internet!
A: The contents of this CD were created using HTML and Javascript for simplicity and cross-platform compatibility.
Q: What kind of computer do I need?
A: The CD was tested on both PC and Macintosh platforms, and should work on any system that is reasonably modern. That is, if you've got Internet Explore 5.0 or better installed, and a 16X CDROM drive or better, then your machine is probably sufficient. Symptoms of an inadequate system will be: slow load times, background music not working properly, excessive reading from the CDROM drive, excessive hard drive usage, etc.
Q: Why didn't you use Macromedia Flash? All the cool Enhanced CD's were developed with Flash or Quicktime!
A: Well woopie ding dong. The creator of this Enhanced CD doesn't have developer versions of either Flash or Quicktime, nor would he have had time to learn either.
Q: The introduction movie isn't working!
A: The little introduction video is in MPEG4 format, and you must have a compatible MPEG4 codec installed on your machine. Installing Windows Media Player is recommended!
Q: The background loops are hiccupping. It sounds like there's a pause between each loop.
A: The background loops are in MP3 format since pulling WAV data from even a fast CDROM drive proved unreliable. Unfortunately, you may experience some hiccupping between loops, although the loops were extended such that hiccups should be rare.
Q: Using the back and forward buttons on my Microsoft Mouse cause the background music to start playing, even after I've disabled it!
A: Yes, this was an unexpected problem that was never quite resolved properly.
Q: I can't resize the window!
A: This is by design. The main window is locked at 800x600 to accommodate those with older machines, and to ease development.
Q: One of the product links isn't working properly!
A: A fair amount of effort was made to link to gear manufacturers, but like all things web sites change over time. If a link goes dead there's not much that can be done about it.
Q: This thing just isn't working at all! What's up?
A: Check the main launcher output for any errors (RUN.HTM) during the system check. Ensure that you have Javascript enabled and that you're not running any programs that prevent popup windows and various other Javascript functions. Basically, if you've done anything to your browser to make it "work better", you've probably made things worse.
Q: What if I find an error/bug on the CD?
A: Keep it to yourself. There's no way to fix it since the CD is completely standalone.
Q: How come these CD's won't play in my car CD player?
A: Some older car and home CD players won't properly play CDR media.
Q: How should I take care of these CD's?
A: All CDR's should be handled with extreme care. Do not touch the play side or allow the play side to touch anything but the CDROM drive itself.
--Info about the HomeRecording.Comp--
Q: My CD says "Limited Edition", what does this mean?
A: It means that you've got one of first 50 numbered CD sets. You are special, and deserve special treatment.
Q: Who came up with the name HomeRecording.Comp name?
A: That would be our beloved S8-N (Clayton Arnold).
Q: Who's this Todd Arnold who took the cover shot?
A: That would be S8-N's "brother" and Mofo Cult drummer.
Q: What is this term Homerec'ers I've been hearing?
A: Homerec'ers originated when Slackmaster 2000 suggested it as the title for the CD. Of course S8-N's title was too good to not use, but the term Homerec'ers is still around. Some people spell it "Homewreckers", but that sorta takes all the phun out of the pun.
Q: I've been hearing about this damn CD for so long. What was the holdup? All of this material is now old news!
A: Organization. Nobody really had any experience with anything like this. Next time, if there is such a thing, will go much smoother. Oh, and never trust an important project to somebody with the alias "Slackmaster", duh.
Q: Where'd you get the background music on the CD?
A: The background music was created by sampling and looping various songs from the compilation.
Q: Were the producers of this CD directly affiliated with HomeRecording.Com?
A: No, although Dragon did give his blessing and created the HomeRecording.Comp forum at the BBS. If any of the contents of this CD are objectionable, then the contributors assume full responsibility.
Q: Can I use some of the material from this CD for my own endeavors?
A: Absolutely not without permission! All of the material is copyright and used with permission. The Enhanced CD content was created mostly by Slackmaster 2000, but the content officially belongs to the contributors. If you have any questions in this regard, contact hr_comp_cd@slackmaster2000.com
Q: What's this "group of contributors?"
A: The CD is controlled by the musical contributors and Dragon as a majority-rules group.
Q: Are there hidden items on the CD?
A: Yes, a few.
Q: Is the extra stuff on both CD's the same?
A: Yes.
-- HomeRecording.Comp Creation Specifics --
Q: What's the number one thing you've learned about creating a compilation CD?
A: Do not assign multiple submission deadlines, and don't extend deadlines. Give one deadline for submissions of audio, artwork, contracts, and of course payment and stick to it, no exceptions!
Q: How did you handle the legal end of this thing?
A: We had submitter and co-creator contracts that covered all material submitted. While we didn't have any real legal expertise, we worded the submitter contracts in plain terms.
Basically the idea was to make sure that the submitter gave us the right to reproduce and distribute his/her material without promise of royalty as a part of the compilation for a certain length of time. It was also important to pass the blame to the submitter if he/she submited copyrighted material (which we did not knowingly allow).
Q: Where can I find some good information about duplicating and printing CDR's on the net?
A: There aren't any truly valuable resources at this time that we know of. We were lucky to find our duper through sonusman.
Q: How did you make the mixer controls move around when I move the mouse over them?
A: I used the mouseover event to trigger a javascript function that simply cycles through a list of animated gifs.
Q: How did you make the VU meter move with the music?
A: It's all in your imagination. The meter is an animated gif.
Q: Where did you find these nifty graphics?
A: All graphics were made from scratch by Slackmaster 2000 (with the exception of the front cover picture) using Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7 and Animation Shop.
Q: How did you do the scroll buttons?
A: I simply used borderless frames and javascript to scroll the frames.
Q: Which browser is easier to develop for?
A: Internet Explorer. Netscape was supported right up until the end, when I had an aneurysm and almost through my machine out the window. Internet Explorer is the dominant browser in the market, and continuing to try to support Netscape was proving ridiculous.
Q: How did you ensure that the CD would work on both Macintosh and PC platforms?
A: This required that the CD be burned using the ISO9660 file system instead of something a bit more flexible like Microsoft's Joliet. The biggest downside of ISO9660 is that it only supports 8.3 filenames which makes file naming less than fun. It is also good practice to use uppercase characters in this case.
Q: How did you put audio and data together on the same CD?
A: This required that the audio tracks be burned in one session, and then data burned in a second session, thus creating a multisession CDROM (Mode 2/XA). The audio tracks are burned first, and will be recognized by most CD players. The data track is tagged onto the end of the CD and can be read by a CDROM drive.
Q: How did you make the CD start automatically when I inserted it into my CDROM drive? (PC Only)
A: I wrote a little program that opens any kind of file with its associated application. If you want a copy of this little program, either visit slackmaster2000.com or click here.
Q: I was rooting around in the CD and noticed some of your code, it's ugly!
A: No kidding. This code was written quick and for a single purpose, therefore I didn't adhere to good coding practices. Plus I had never really done much of anything with Javascript. You should've seen the Netscape code, it was pretty involved and I was pretty sad to have to dump it, oh well.
Q: Did you use an HTML editor at all?
A: Yes, I used Frontpage 2000. This is a barely adequate application, but it has some features that make life so much easier. I wasn't too concerned about the ugly code it generates...it's not like this content is designed to travel over the web.
Slackmaster 2000
The multisession stuff is working great. The CD's are playing right now in my CD player, and earlier I was browsing the enhanced content quite successfully.
Here is a text copy of the FAQ that will be shipping on the CD (save a few minor changes perhaps):
----------- The HomeRecording.Comp FAQ! ------------------
This list of frequently asked questions should address most common questions regarding the use and creation of HomeRecording.Comp Volume One.
Contents:
Running the CD
Q: How do I start the CD from my computer?
Q: What software do I need?
Q: Why do I need a browser?
Q: What kind of computer do I need?
Q: Why didn't you use Macromedia Flash? All the cool Enhanced CD's were developed with Flash or Quicktime!
Q: The introduction movie isn't working!
Q: The background loops are hiccupping. It sounds like there's a pause between each loop.
Q: Using the back and forward buttons on my Microsoft Mouse cause the background music to start playing, even after I've disabled it!
Q: I can't resize the window!
Q: One of the product links isn't working properly!
Q: This thing just isn't working at all! What's up?
Q: What if I find an error/bug on the CD?
Q: How come these CD's won't play in my car CD player?
Q: How should I take care of these CD's?
HomeRecording.Comp Information
Q: My CD says "Limited Edition", what does this mean?
Q: Who came up with the name HomeRecording.Comp name?
Q: Who's this Todd Arnold who took the cover shot?
Q: What is this term Homerec'ers I've been hearing?
Q: I've been hearing about this damn CD for so long. What was the holdup? All of this material is now old news!
Q: Where'd you get the background music on the CD?
Q: Were the producers of this CD directly affiliated with HomeRecording.Com?
Q: Can I use some of the material from this CD for my own endeavors?
Q: What's this "group of contributors?"
Q: Are there hidden items on the CD?
Q: Is the extra stuff on both CD's the same?
HomeRecording.Comp Creation and Specifics
Q: What's the number one thing you've learned about creating a compilation CD?
Q: How did you handle the legal end of this thing?
Q: Where can I find some good information about duplicating and printing CDR's on the net?
Q: How did you make the mixer controls move around when I move the mouse over them?
Q: How did you make the VU meter move with the music?
Q: Where did you find these nifty graphics?
Q: How did you do the scroll buttons?
Q: Which browser is easier to develop for?
Q: How did you ensure that the CD would work on both Macintosh and PC platforms?
Q: How did you put audio and data together on the same CD?
Q: How did you make the CD start automatically when I inserted it into my CDROM drive? (PC Only)
Q: I was rooting around in the CD and noticed some of your code, it's ugly!
Q: Did you use an HTML editor at all?
--Running the CD--
Q: How do I start the CD from my computer?
A: On most Microsoft Windows PC's, simply insert either of the HomeRecording.Comp CD's into the CDROM drive, and the welcome page should automatically appear after a few seconds.
If the CD doesn't automatically run, or you are on a Macintosh, open the file "RUN.HTM" from the root of the CD.
Q: What software do I need?
A: Internet Explorer 5.0 or better is required. Netscape and various other browsers are not supported.
Installing Windows Media Player is also recommend (installer included on the CD) for MPEG4 and MP3 support. This is especially important on a Macintosh, since Quicktime does not support MPEG4 at this time.
Q: Why do I need a browser? I'm not even using the Internet!
A: The contents of this CD were created using HTML and Javascript for simplicity and cross-platform compatibility.
Q: What kind of computer do I need?
A: The CD was tested on both PC and Macintosh platforms, and should work on any system that is reasonably modern. That is, if you've got Internet Explore 5.0 or better installed, and a 16X CDROM drive or better, then your machine is probably sufficient. Symptoms of an inadequate system will be: slow load times, background music not working properly, excessive reading from the CDROM drive, excessive hard drive usage, etc.
Q: Why didn't you use Macromedia Flash? All the cool Enhanced CD's were developed with Flash or Quicktime!
A: Well woopie ding dong. The creator of this Enhanced CD doesn't have developer versions of either Flash or Quicktime, nor would he have had time to learn either.
Q: The introduction movie isn't working!
A: The little introduction video is in MPEG4 format, and you must have a compatible MPEG4 codec installed on your machine. Installing Windows Media Player is recommended!
Q: The background loops are hiccupping. It sounds like there's a pause between each loop.
A: The background loops are in MP3 format since pulling WAV data from even a fast CDROM drive proved unreliable. Unfortunately, you may experience some hiccupping between loops, although the loops were extended such that hiccups should be rare.
Q: Using the back and forward buttons on my Microsoft Mouse cause the background music to start playing, even after I've disabled it!
A: Yes, this was an unexpected problem that was never quite resolved properly.
Q: I can't resize the window!
A: This is by design. The main window is locked at 800x600 to accommodate those with older machines, and to ease development.
Q: One of the product links isn't working properly!
A: A fair amount of effort was made to link to gear manufacturers, but like all things web sites change over time. If a link goes dead there's not much that can be done about it.
Q: This thing just isn't working at all! What's up?
A: Check the main launcher output for any errors (RUN.HTM) during the system check. Ensure that you have Javascript enabled and that you're not running any programs that prevent popup windows and various other Javascript functions. Basically, if you've done anything to your browser to make it "work better", you've probably made things worse.
Q: What if I find an error/bug on the CD?
A: Keep it to yourself. There's no way to fix it since the CD is completely standalone.
Q: How come these CD's won't play in my car CD player?
A: Some older car and home CD players won't properly play CDR media.
Q: How should I take care of these CD's?
A: All CDR's should be handled with extreme care. Do not touch the play side or allow the play side to touch anything but the CDROM drive itself.
--Info about the HomeRecording.Comp--
Q: My CD says "Limited Edition", what does this mean?
A: It means that you've got one of first 50 numbered CD sets. You are special, and deserve special treatment.
Q: Who came up with the name HomeRecording.Comp name?
A: That would be our beloved S8-N (Clayton Arnold).
Q: Who's this Todd Arnold who took the cover shot?
A: That would be S8-N's "brother" and Mofo Cult drummer.
Q: What is this term Homerec'ers I've been hearing?
A: Homerec'ers originated when Slackmaster 2000 suggested it as the title for the CD. Of course S8-N's title was too good to not use, but the term Homerec'ers is still around. Some people spell it "Homewreckers", but that sorta takes all the phun out of the pun.
Q: I've been hearing about this damn CD for so long. What was the holdup? All of this material is now old news!
A: Organization. Nobody really had any experience with anything like this. Next time, if there is such a thing, will go much smoother. Oh, and never trust an important project to somebody with the alias "Slackmaster", duh.
Q: Where'd you get the background music on the CD?
A: The background music was created by sampling and looping various songs from the compilation.
Q: Were the producers of this CD directly affiliated with HomeRecording.Com?
A: No, although Dragon did give his blessing and created the HomeRecording.Comp forum at the BBS. If any of the contents of this CD are objectionable, then the contributors assume full responsibility.
Q: Can I use some of the material from this CD for my own endeavors?
A: Absolutely not without permission! All of the material is copyright and used with permission. The Enhanced CD content was created mostly by Slackmaster 2000, but the content officially belongs to the contributors. If you have any questions in this regard, contact hr_comp_cd@slackmaster2000.com
Q: What's this "group of contributors?"
A: The CD is controlled by the musical contributors and Dragon as a majority-rules group.
Q: Are there hidden items on the CD?
A: Yes, a few.
Q: Is the extra stuff on both CD's the same?
A: Yes.
-- HomeRecording.Comp Creation Specifics --
Q: What's the number one thing you've learned about creating a compilation CD?
A: Do not assign multiple submission deadlines, and don't extend deadlines. Give one deadline for submissions of audio, artwork, contracts, and of course payment and stick to it, no exceptions!
Q: How did you handle the legal end of this thing?
A: We had submitter and co-creator contracts that covered all material submitted. While we didn't have any real legal expertise, we worded the submitter contracts in plain terms.
Basically the idea was to make sure that the submitter gave us the right to reproduce and distribute his/her material without promise of royalty as a part of the compilation for a certain length of time. It was also important to pass the blame to the submitter if he/she submited copyrighted material (which we did not knowingly allow).
Q: Where can I find some good information about duplicating and printing CDR's on the net?
A: There aren't any truly valuable resources at this time that we know of. We were lucky to find our duper through sonusman.
Q: How did you make the mixer controls move around when I move the mouse over them?
A: I used the mouseover event to trigger a javascript function that simply cycles through a list of animated gifs.
Q: How did you make the VU meter move with the music?
A: It's all in your imagination. The meter is an animated gif.
Q: Where did you find these nifty graphics?
A: All graphics were made from scratch by Slackmaster 2000 (with the exception of the front cover picture) using Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7 and Animation Shop.
Q: How did you do the scroll buttons?
A: I simply used borderless frames and javascript to scroll the frames.
Q: Which browser is easier to develop for?
A: Internet Explorer. Netscape was supported right up until the end, when I had an aneurysm and almost through my machine out the window. Internet Explorer is the dominant browser in the market, and continuing to try to support Netscape was proving ridiculous.
Q: How did you ensure that the CD would work on both Macintosh and PC platforms?
A: This required that the CD be burned using the ISO9660 file system instead of something a bit more flexible like Microsoft's Joliet. The biggest downside of ISO9660 is that it only supports 8.3 filenames which makes file naming less than fun. It is also good practice to use uppercase characters in this case.
Q: How did you put audio and data together on the same CD?
A: This required that the audio tracks be burned in one session, and then data burned in a second session, thus creating a multisession CDROM (Mode 2/XA). The audio tracks are burned first, and will be recognized by most CD players. The data track is tagged onto the end of the CD and can be read by a CDROM drive.
Q: How did you make the CD start automatically when I inserted it into my CDROM drive? (PC Only)
A: I wrote a little program that opens any kind of file with its associated application. If you want a copy of this little program, either visit slackmaster2000.com or click here.
Q: I was rooting around in the CD and noticed some of your code, it's ugly!
A: No kidding. This code was written quick and for a single purpose, therefore I didn't adhere to good coding practices. Plus I had never really done much of anything with Javascript. You should've seen the Netscape code, it was pretty involved and I was pretty sad to have to dump it, oh well.
Q: Did you use an HTML editor at all?
A: Yes, I used Frontpage 2000. This is a barely adequate application, but it has some features that make life so much easier. I wasn't too concerned about the ugly code it generates...it's not like this content is designed to travel over the web.
Slackmaster 2000
