ANNOUNCE: what happened to x2ftp.oulu.fi
Jouni Miettunen
x2ftp.oulu.fi is the world's leading game/msdos development orientated
ftp-site. Since we have concentrated into quality over quantity we
have only about 260M archives, but there you can find all you need.
I was just checking x2ftp log files and here's the summary:
During 9 weeks, from 28 May 1995 till 17 July 1995, 395142 files were
downloaded from x2ftp.oulu.fi ftp-site. When you remember that we have
several mirror sites all around the world, that number might at least
double and this is a very careful estimation.
I also found out that besides the half a dozen official mirror sites
there are about a dozen unofficial sites mirroring the archives.
During the 9 weeks there was used 22647 unique usernames from 23158
internet sites connecting into x2ftp.oulu.fi. Since even Netscape@ and
[none_given] together made about 10000 accesses, I'd extimate we have
had over 30000 different unique visitors. Yet again this is a very
careful and most likely too low estimation.
What suprised me most was the great number of CompuServe users. x2ftp
was contacted by 286 different CIS users and the busiest one had
downloaded 191 files! This is amazing, remembering how big fees they
have to pay for it.
And why was I checking the log files?
I wanted to expand x2ftp into The Ultimate Developers' WWW-site,
specializing into game programming, naturally. However this is very
hard to do in a non-commercial way and thus not possible in the
current x2ftp.oulu.fi ftp-site. It would have had to be a private
system, costing a lot of money and requiring a lot of work.
A commercial WWW site run by us would have at least doubled the number
of individual visitors. Why? Because WWW is (too) easy to use, because
the newcomers don't know FTP, because we would provide high quality
and valuable information (quality over quantity) and because I know
how to make myself heard in net. I've done it before from the scratch.
I had the knowledge, some contacts, the idea and animal drive to make
it happen. I managed to get a system/hardware expert into this thing,
who could not only create the system I wanted to have, but even tell
me how it should be done. I managed to get a business expert to handle
the bureaucracy, finances and even a site to start the project cheap.
We had the startup money, we had a handful of customers willing to pay
for the service, we had deals with 2 magazines to get online, a lot of
ideas never seen before and some already ready for use. But..
I couldn't get a WWW/HTML expert.
Now I'm depressed. I've done a bloody lot of work to make x2ftp what
it is now and I just can't add WWW maintaining and HTML writing into
my burden. Thus I'm going to stop maintaining x2ftp and learn HTML.
ftp://x2ftp.oulu.fi/pub/msdos/programming/contest/00rules.txt
I will take care of the Game Programming contest till the end and I
will make sure the incoming directories will remain empty. For those
of you, who didn't know, only less than 5% of the files in x2ftp were
ever uploaded into x2ftp incoming directories. I know it, I've handled
each and every (msdos and books sections) file myself.
I'm sorry for the end, but that's the way it is. During the past 15
months there was some good times and a lot of bad times. I'll remember
just the good.. and Mr. Joe "ripoff" Gradecki.
Jouni Miettunen
PS. I'm not quitting, I just take a break. Maybe next year I'll manage
to do the work of three and we'll create a WWW-site after all. I still
might even do it for free.
--
* Jouni Miettunen j...@stekt.oulu.fi * Oulu * Finland * Europe *
** I do not represent Oulu university * all opinions mine only **
** x2ftp.oulu.fi * THE ai game graphics sound PROGRAMMING site **
Steve Larsen
: Hello world,
[Jouni's bit about not continuing support of x2ftp deleted]
This is a sad day. A lot of people don't realize how much work
went into making this such a cool site (that is why there aren't
more sites as good as this one). My thanks to Jouni for his efforts.
My condolences to the game programming community for its loss.
--
Steve Larsen
lar...@sunset.cs.utah.edu
I don't like stuff that sucks!
B&B
James Ojaste
>I wanted to expand x2ftp into The Ultimate Developers' WWW-site,
>I couldn't get a WWW/HTML expert.
Huh? How hard have you looked? If my connection wasn't so slow, I'd
*volunteer*. You should ask around - there are plenty of people with
time on their hands and knowledge of HTML.
My only request would be to avoid Netscape extensions like the plague.
Instead, use HTML v3 - it's got the important things, it's standard,
and it doesn't have blink. :-)
>Now I'm depressed. I've done a bloody lot of work to make x2ftp what
>it is now and I just can't add WWW maintaining and HTML writing into
>my burden. Thus I'm going to stop maintaining x2ftp and learn HTML.
It's not that hard to learn. It'll take a few hours to get comfortable
with it, though.
>PS. I'm not quitting, I just take a break. Maybe next year I'll manage
>to do the work of three and we'll create a WWW-site after all. I still
>might even do it for free.
Well, if *you* are willing to do it for free, why not some of us...
James
--
fn info guess {if {~ $guess 'James Ojaste'} {echo Right!} {~ $guess loves es} {
echo Yup!} {~ $guess (http:// mailto:jojaste@)^csclub.uwaterloo.ca^(/~jojaste
'')} {echo Uh-huh!} {~ $guess INTX} {echo Ding!} {echo Bzzzt!}}
milk Ted melancholy
So then...is someone (a mirror site perhaps?) going to take over the x2ftp
tradition?
bye,
Ted.
--
I can do anything you do.
I'm a plane!
den...@netcom.com
job of x2ftp maintainers for a year, giving Jouni a much-deserved
respite. They could do with a spell of pro bono work after subjecting
the rest of us to their self-serving diatribes and general purpose
kvetching. No offense.
Paul Rondeau
by far, the best for game development. I think what you've done is
great, so keep up the good work!
-Paul
Teemu Peltonen
> My only request would be to avoid Netscape extensions like the plague.
> Instead, use HTML v3 - it's got the important things, it's standard,
> and it doesn't have blink. :-)
To be exact, only STANDARD on HTML's is v1. Two others are drafts, due to be
standardized at the end of this year.
--
tee...@teleste.fi | Quark / Anarchy | http://www.teleste.fi/~teemup/
Pascal, ASM, HTML | ____/ooOoo\____ | "I don't believe in shell after death"
James Ojaste
Teemu Peltonen <tee...@linux.teleste.fi> wrote:
>James Ojaste (joj...@calum.csclub.uwaterloo.ca) wrote:
>> My only request would be to avoid Netscape extensions like the plague.
>> Instead, use HTML v3 - it's got the important things, it's standard,
>> and it doesn't have blink. :-)
>
>To be exact, only STANDARD on HTML's is v1. Two others are drafts, due to be
>standardized at the end of this year.
I stand corrected. HTML v3 *will* be standard. Netscape extensions will
*never* be. (Well, defacto, maybe - but I'd prefer a well thought out
extension that lots of people agree on than somebody saying "Hey this is
cool, let's make everybody use it!")
Frank J. Sorensen
>In article <3vq6vr$5...@linux.teleste.fi>,
>Teemu Peltonen <tee...@linux.teleste.fi> wrote:
>>James Ojaste (joj...@calum.csclub.uwaterloo.ca) wrote:
>>> My only request would be to avoid Netscape extensions like the plague.
>>> Instead, use HTML v3 - it's got the important things, it's standard,
>>> and it doesn't have blink. :-)
>>
>>To be exact, only STANDARD on HTML's is v1. Two others are drafts, due to be
>>standardized at the end of this year.
>I stand corrected. HTML v3 *will* be standard. Netscape extensions will
>*never* be. (Well, defacto, maybe - but I'd prefer a well thought out
>extension that lots of people agree on than somebody saying "Hey this is
>cool, let's make everybody use it!")
>James
My guess is, that since this whole Internet thing is so chaotic and in a sence
unstructured, the Netscape extensions may well become defacto standard, just
like Silicon Graphics (correct me if I'm wrong)) brand new VRML "standard".
I think that the days of the big protocol- and standards planning on the
Internet are more or less over. If x million people uses the new Netscape
extensions, who cares if it's a standard or not 8-).
- Frank
-------------------------------------------------
The screen is always greener on the other guys PC
Frank Sorensen (gri...@aau.dk)
Jouni Miettunen
gri...@aau.dk (Frank J. Sorensen) said:
>>>> My only request would be to avoid Netscape extensions like the plague.
>>>> Instead, use HTML v3 - it's got the important things, it's standard,
>>>> and it doesn't have blink. :-)
I heard Netscape is going to include HotJava language == very good,
but not a standard. I'll use it, when Netscape will.
>>I stand corrected. HTML v3 *will* be standard. Netscape extensions will
>>*never* be. (Well, defacto, maybe - but I'd prefer a well thought out
>>extension that lots of people agree on than somebody saying "Hey this is
>>cool, let's make everybody use it!")
Standards are safe, but not cool ;)
> I think that the days of the big protocol- and standards planning on the
> Internet are more or less over. If x million people uses the new Netscape
> extensions, who cares if it's a standard or not 8-).
The x-n million people. Only about 50% uses Netscape.. The problem
with standards is that they tend to get old before they are even
released.
> - Frank
--jouni
Gavin Estey
j...@stekt.oulu.fi "Jouni Miettunen" writes:
> The x-n million people. Only about 50% uses Netscape.. The problem
> with standards is that they tend to get old before they are even
> released.
In one of the computer magazines I read they say that over 70% of people
use netscape. Most of the others use Mosaic of one of the Mosaic clones.
About Netscape, why on earth people are investing a fortune in a company
that hasn't made a profit and has lost over $16m. This just proves how
hyped up the internet is.
Do you want to invest in a company that has never made a profit? Enquire
about "Strange Creations", my non-profit making compainy.
bye,
--
Gavin Estey
=================================================================
E-MAIL ga...@senator.demon.co.uk PHONE/FAX +44 (01276) 476503
S-MAIL 2 Lovells Close, Lightwater, Surrey, GU18 5RS, ENGLAND
=================================================================
Maintainer of the rec.games.programmer FAQ. This can be found at:
ftp://x2ftp.oulu.fi/pub/msdos/programming/faq/rgp_faq.126
Uri Bruck
people who are drafting the HTML 3.0 standard, so eventually
the Netscape extensions and HTML 3.0 will converge.
As for Hot Java, it suffers from many problems, such as code bloat, and
requires a multi threaded system (NT or OS/2) Too high end for
the majority of the installed base.
Uri Bruck
Jouni Miettunen (j...@stekt.oulu.fi) wrote:
: On Fri, 11 Aug 1995 10:59:26,
: gri...@aau.dk (Frank J. Sorensen) said:
: >>>> My only request would be to avoid Netscape extensions like the plague.
: >>>> Instead, use HTML v3 - it's got the important things, it's standard,
: >>>> and it doesn't have blink. :-)
: I heard Netscape is going to include HotJava language == very good,
: but not a standard. I'll use it, when Netscape will.
: >>I stand corrected. HTML v3 *will* be standard. Netscape extensions will
: >>*never* be. (Well, defacto, maybe - but I'd prefer a well thought out
: >>extension that lots of people agree on than somebody saying "Hey this is
: >>cool, let's make everybody use it!")
: Standards are safe, but not cool ;)
: > I think that the days of the big protocol- and standards planning on the
: > Internet are more or less over. If x million people uses the new Netscape
: > extensions, who cares if it's a standard or not 8-).
: The x-n million people. Only about 50% uses Netscape.. The problem
: with standards is that they tend to get old before they are even
: released.
: > - Frank