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Results of Survey
Index
- Introduction
- What is out there?
- If this was a perfect world...
- What causes the crashes?
- Why I promote Midigate
Introduction
This report should appeal to anyone interested in surfing the Net while listening to nice music in the background without forever crashing their browser. I will attempt to briefly summarize the incoming data, quoting from some of the actual e-mail respondence that came in. I thank all of you who so willingly responded to this survey and for all the interesting suggestions that poured in.
I first wrote a long diatribe about the said results in a special Compuflash issue then, I threw it away! And with cause. I came to realize if was not the fault of any given program that so many people had so much trouble with playing embedded music with their browser. It was just that we are trying hard to run ahead of technology, grasping this new toy here and that new one there before all these new toys got a chance to learn how to play together in harmony.
It used to be that not so long ago, we were quite happy to click on a hot-linked midi file and presto... music. Unfortunately, with the sudden advent of all those new 'programming tricks', requiring the full cooperation of Service Providers and major browser programmers, among others, in order for their new jewels to perform, some Providers had no time to catch up. Results: some of those new wonders work flawlessly on some machines and not at all on other identical machines hooked to different providers. (Note: the real reason for this may have been discovered by one of my correspondents. See below) Then, there is the story about some browsers accepting certain codes but not the other and so on and so forth.
Another point that was made clear from this survey is the fact that for every person who wrote me about having some problem with playing 'onstream' midi files, there were ten others who also had problems but did not write! So folks, it would appear the problem is widespread. I for one has decided to temporarily return to the good old days when one had to click on a midi file hotlink to hear the music, then another, then another....
There is nothing so depressing for anyone spending untold hours on designing a homepage, especially on a voluntary basis as most of us do, to discover his/her work of art doesn't 'play' on a good number of machines when it would be so easy to rectify the situation.
Given the advent of all the newfangled ways to present music these days and coupled with the fact there are so many different variations of browsers out there, the majority in one beta version or other, it is not surprising everyone seems to have difficulty playing their favorite music. On the one hand, homepage authors are forever trying out the latest gadget, trying very hard to be in the forefront of advancing technology with one disastrous result after another. As for the surfers, they in turn grab the latest offering from browser programmers to try their latest 'beta' copy of their new toy.
The result: near anarchy. The winners: no one. Authors spend untold hours on perfecting their masterpiece only to see more surfers getting more and more frustrated as their browser keeps crashing on a regular basis.
If this was a perfect world, I would see the ideal setup as follows: a surfer should be able to go to a page containing musical selections and pick the number of selections he/she wishes to listen to while browsing and be on his/her merry way.... browsing along while listening to their preferred music!
Notice that in the above scenario, the music does not 'just happen', the person actually has to select what they want! But is that too much to ask? This method possesses several advantages, chief among them the fact that it allows one to select exactly what one wants, not what the page author decided they should hear.
I believe I may have found the solution on how to achieve the ideal setup. Lest I be labeled an heretic by going back in time, I suggest we forego the use of 'embedded' music code for a while, at least until everyone uses a browser that can take all this new technology in stride, without having their browser crash on a continuous basis.
To give an idea of what I am talking about, I suggest you go to the next URL and try out 'A Concert in the Partk'. If your browser is already set with a viewer (such as Midigate) which allows you to select as many selections as you wish and queue them, then you're in luck. Make your selections and come back here to read the remainder. If your only viewer is crescendo, then you will have to do special moves to listen to the selections. More on this later
Many of you spent a good amount of time in drafting your reply, explaining what, in your opinion, caused those crashes. I will reprint some of the most enlightening suggestions and, thanks again for your cooperation.
The following was received from Martha, author of The Woodshed 'Reprinted with permission' I believe she may well have found one of the causes.
QUOTE
I made one stab at embedding MIDI files on my pages using the directions on Crescendo's page, and after multiple crashes in Netscape 2.0x on my own system when I attempted to access the pages, I gave it up.
I had not previously had any problems with Crescendo and embedded files and I haven't had any since, but I still choose to keep my stuff as clickable links. You're right - it just isn't a technology that they've completely figured out yet.
As for using it with Netscape 3.0, interestingly enough, I cannot even click a link on ANY page in 3.0b5/3.0b5a (Win 16) without Netscape GPFing and crashing my system. It doesn't matter if the page has embedded files or not. I'm somewhat impatiently waiting for the next beta to come out to in hopes that it will work on my system. I want to start optimizing my pages for 3.0's slightly different page formatting, plus it is picky as heck about javascript code, so I'd like to clean up my code so that it works properly in 3.0.
In the older 3.0 betas, I used the beta audio plugin that comes with 3.0 (if you download the full version) to play MIDI. That, too was very buggy (like REALLY buggy - nothing like having your system resources drain down to zero right before your eyes!) It was a race every time I tried it to see if I could disconnect, close all my apps, and exit Windows before my system went kaboom.
Anyway, there might be another variable here as to whether people can or can't use Crescendo or other fancy stuff that keeps coming out. The WINSOCK.DLL (that their ISP's usually provide for them) that people are using might also play a part here. I don't know that for a fact, but it could be
possible.
When I was still running Netscape 1.1, I could not submit a form in it when I was running it with AOL's WINSOCK.DLL without GPFing. At the same time, I had no problem submitting forms using the exact same copy of Netscape while running it with GNN and GNN's WINSOCK.DLL.
When I was still on GNN, I could not send an email more than about 8 lines long without hanging the system (and having to reboot) while using Netscape 2.0, 2.01 or 2.02 and running it with GNN and GNN's winsock. Again, though, at the same time, I had no problems sending any length of mail in Netscape 2.0x while connected to AT&T Worldnet and using their winsock and using the exact same copy of Netscape 2.0x. Before GNN put up a firewall prohibiting it, I could even send mail using GNN's mail server while connected to either AOL or AT&T Worldnet with no problems.
Anyway, I think that different WINSOCK.DLL's may have a much greater impact on reliability than anyone realizes. Having the same setup using different winsocks behave differently for each winsock leads me to believe it.
UNQUOTE
Prior to reading Martha's remarks, I had never given much thought to the WINSOCK.DLL problem. Looks like her extensive study on the subject may have hit the nail on the head; well at least, one of the nails!
Following are more of the comments/suggestions received:
John - I use Netscape beta 3. It uses its own "plug-in" and works just fine with your selections.
From D.B. (Ontario)
I had GPF problems with Crescendo coming out of frames and that was about it. I didn't like the newest Beta at all. I don't see why the sound app is transfering anything, It should work just like your browser and download the Midi to your system then Play it from there. I'm no sound guy but it only makes sence to me.
I have
To get a Midi to work for Explorer it just needs to be a background source. The Midi plays automatically and loops a speciafied number of times..
I did get the newest NetScape Beta.. 3.0b5 and it has the Midi plug in setup in it already and works great!.. Not one problem at all so far.. I like it!..
From G.C. (Ontario)
I have had no problems with the Crescendo program or the midi files playing on my machine. On
your pages you can hear the music but once you move off the page the music stops. I have had to make a framed page so that the Crescendo music is heard all the time they are browsing on the travel section of the pages.
When loading a song a new window opens up so that you can control the playing of the midi. I use Netscape 3.02b and MSIE 3.05b all 32 bit programs on a win95 platform. In Netscape, Crescendo loads up in a new window while in MSIE a midi player loads up in its own window. This lets you keep on browsing through any pages while the music continues to play.
By the way. Have you ever figured out how to play more than one midi in a consecutive manner. That is once one song has finished a new song will automatically load up and play?
I replied to Gerry with the following:
I use the same two browsers as you do (sometime....) but my main browser is Netscape Ver 2 (commercial version).
Yes I did find a way to continuously play........ I better explain in point form (faster that way)
1. following results of that survey of mine I have done the following:
a. removed all embedded codes from my pages;
b. made Midigate my one and only 'viewer' for Midi files both from witrhin Netscape and from within MS Explorer!
c. I have registered Midigate. Why? Besides sleeping better, the darn thing is only $10.00(U.S.) and fully worth it. The registered version is incredible. You can queue up unlimited number of tunes. For example.....
i. in my new Concert page, I clicked, online, on all numbers one after the other;
ii. then I saved the Queue, as it was playing,
iii. I kept surfing from page to page while all the numbers kept playing
d.that's all there is to it.
Only problem with all the above is to 'get rid of everything', viewer-wise, and keep only Midigate. I tried every which way to crash Netscape while listening to music and couldn't!!!
From J.B.
I did some more "sleuthing". I deleted the Crescendo plugin and your original page works fine So, all along, it was Crescendo that was the problem. Hope that helps a little. I know I am still not going to use the embed statement in my site until these guys get their act together on conflicts.
From K.M.
I also like the fact that Midigate continues playing even when you leave the page. I like that idea A LOT, so I may be doing the same thing with MRC. I probably will, since it didn't play all the time, even for me.
I received several more comments but they all pretty well ran along the same line. Those who made Midigate their viewer of choice (and only one) all reported a marked reduction in their blood pressure
To anyone who 'does not' know me, the answer would be simple "He wants to get rich!". Wrong! Sure I'd like to get rich but, not this way. I get no 'cut' or whatever from the owner of Midigate. Simply put: I promote Midigate because, until I see something coming along that does a better job, I think it is 'the' viewer to use. Not only does it do the job admirably but the asking price to register is so downright reasonable, it hurts. If all shareware followed that trend, there would be a lot more rich programmers. But then, I digress....
I sincerely hope the present survey has helped you decide on which way you'd want to go, be it as a 'surfer' or as an homepage author. I welcome any comment you might wish to make on the subject as I am sure this is one topic that will remain 'lively' for a long time to come. Oooops... the last of the 22 musical selections I had made just finished. Better go select a few more.
John.
What is out there...
If this was a perfect world....
What causes the crashes???
Why I 'promote' Midigate?
To Concert No 1
