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Subject:Re: putting a bitmap on a web page From:Scott McClare <smcclare -at- DY4 -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 28 Oct 1998 09:43:30 -0500
My last few messages have had pretty mangled formatting.
Hopefully I've come close to solving this. Although I like many of
Outlook's features, I *hate* its mail handling.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AlQuin [SMTP:cbon -at- WXS -dot- NL]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 1998 3:56 AM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Re: putting a bitmap on a web page
>
>On 28-10-1998 00:11 Melissa Alton wrote:
>>I'm trying to figure out how to put a bitmap
>>on a web page. I made the bitmap in
>>microsofts paint program and when I view
>>the bitmap through my browser it shows
>>me the entire paint program and lets me edit
>>the graphic. But I dont want to be able to see
>>the entire program or edit the graphic.
>>
>>Can anybody give me instructions here? I cant
>>point you to a web site because its not live yet.
>Just disconnect the helper:
>1. In your browser, go to your helpers list
> (under preferences)
>2. Find the filetype in question
>3. Edit this entry by deselecting the attached
>application (or select your browser as the
>handling program instead)
A few points in rebuttal:
1. In theory, this is fine for *personal* use. However, though
it's widely used in Windows, BMP is not a standard bitmap format for the
Web. Web graphics are usually in GIF, JPEG or (hopefully real soon now)
PNG, and a few UNIX bitmap formats I'm not familiar with. Hence, by
default no browser I'm aware of displays BMP files directly [1]; for
everyone to see a Web page with BMP graphics, every person viewing that
page would have to make a configuration change to their browser. Thus,
this page would lose at least *one* viewer; my browser's preferences are
to reflect *my* tastes, not every Web author's.
2. You've assumed Melissa (or any other reader) is using
Netscape, where you choose Edit > Preferences to change the browser's
configuration. MSIE, like most other Microsloth products, calls this
"Options." [2]
3. I opened Netscape 4.04 to experiment with the helper apps.
For the image/x-MS-bmp MIME type (Windows bitmap), Netscape grays out
the option to have the browser handle it. So it seems for one major
browser, the decision has already been made.
Those people who recommended Melissa convert her BMPs to GIF or
JPEG format have the best all-round option. BTW, both formats have
their advantages and disadvantages depending largely on size and
content-appearance considerations. I'm not familiar enough with the
details to go into them, and I suspect a discussion of graphics formats
goes beyond the scope of TECHWR-L anyway.
Take care,
Scott
Notes:
[1] Although I use MSIE4 at home, I haven't tinkered with the
helper application preferences. Internet Exploder may display BMP
images inline after all.
[2] In most MS products I'm aware of, this would be under Tools
in the menu bar. I don't recall whether MSIE has a Tools menu.
