Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

History and Preservation Issues

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Mike
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Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Mike »

In the sense of the sub-title of this section, "History and Preservation Issues":

http://www.sleepingelephant.com/ipw-web ... 6&start=18

... in the quest of reconstructing the program "Mazes make the game... here's how to construct them".

There's a scan available on archive.org, but there's no chance to type in the program from it, as letters, digits and symbols were reduced to an unreadable pulp (just down to the point that one does decipher some passages and might be lured to try his luck, but no avail).

Does someone here in Denial have access to a paper copy of HCW #20 and is up for providing a readable scan of this program?

Greetings,

Michael
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Vic20-Ian »

It is readable on my screen by zooming in on the PDF.

Do you want me to screen shot a zoomed in view and email it to you?
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Mike »

This is how a zoomed view of the mentioned *.pdf displays on two different computers I use:

Image

So - either you have access to a different *.pdf, or we don't share the same judgement about the readability of the listing. :(
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Mike »

As follow-up: the viewer in archive.org gives a slightly better result - somehow the export function wrecks the rest of readability:

Image

Still not anything I'd want to stress my eyes with over a substantial amount of time. :|
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Mike »

Those two pages are the same 'quality' I got from the view function in archive.org. The scan is 970x1392 pixels, which correspond to roughly 120 dpi - and from the looks it's most probably interpolated from 60 dpi.

If someone wants to ruin his eyes on this, go ahead. Not me. And I am not going to comment further on this when the archive.org source is repeatedly brought forward - acceptable for me (for an own type-in attempt) only is a fresh scan with at least 300 dpi non-interpolated.
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by eslapion »

Mike wrote:As follow-up: the viewer in archive.org gives a slightly better result - somehow the export function wrecks the rest of readability:
This is why no matter how much people have pressured me in the past to do so, I never send documents for public archival in PDF format.

Unlike a bitmap which is sized in pixels, PDFs are based on Postscript which set sizes in inches or centimeters so exporting always causes re-scaling and a loss in actual readability.

There may be tricks to extract photos from a PDF without causing this problem but I am not too familiar with these.
Last edited by eslapion on Sat May 27, 2017 2:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Vic20-Ian »

There are 3 issues here:

1. The scan could be of higher quality but it may not be possible to redo easily.
2. The pdf export dramatically decreases the quality - why doesn't it just provide the source pdf?
3. Mike - you could have said thank you when someone bothers to try and help. The scan is readable enough to get the code corrected if you zoom in on the Archive.org site and take a snapshot and then use or print those.
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Mike »

Vic20-Ian,

I'm asking for a reasonable favour, not especially on my behalf, but to get things going about somebody else's problem. That favour could be done in a 5 minutes work scanning and uploading the scan at some place. I'd reciprocate with type-in work, a functioning program and when I get the time, doing a port to MINIGRAFIK.

Instead you're wasting my time questioning my complaint about the archive.org scan. I have no obligation to say a "thank you" to anyone for actions that are well meant but not well done. Once again, please take a look at the topic title - I'm asking for a *good* scan of the article. What I do not want is a discussion with you about our different judgements about the archive.org scan quality.
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Vic20-Ian »

I disagree, I pointed out that it was possible to zoom in and read the text. You got it wrong by exporting.

You argued against it in your first post with an export image then half corrected yourself but were ungracious in your next reply.

Please and thank you works well to get someone to do you a favour.

You do seem to be quite brusque in a fair proportion of your posts. You don't have to conform to the "unhoeflich" stereotype and talk down to people you know.

Be a good chap and do try and follow the Friendly Computer ethos of Denial, it would make life more pleasant for the rest of us.
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by Mike »

Vic20-Ian wrote:I disagree, I pointed out that it was possible to zoom in and read the text. You got it wrong by exporting.

You argued against it in your first post with an export image then half corrected yourself but were ungracious in your next reply.

Please and thank you works well to get someone to do you a favour.

You do seem to be quite brusque in a fair proportion of your posts. You don't have to conform to the "unhoeflich" stereotype and talk down to people you know.

Be a good chap and do try and follow the Friendly Computer ethos of Denial, it would make life more pleasant for the rest of us.
I know you don't like me. Your patronizing attempts are mis-guided. If you can't keep to the topic and instead drag down the discussion to personal attacks, please refrain from posting further in this thread. Thank you.
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Re: Request for a *good* scan of Home Computing Weekly #20 ...

Post by eslapion »

Vic20-Ian wrote:You do seem to be quite brusque in a fair proportion of your posts. You don't have to conform to the "unhoeflich" stereotype and talk down to people you know.

Be a good chap and do try and follow the Friendly Computer ethos of Denial, it would make life more pleasant for the rest of us.
We do have a similar point of view.
Mike wrote:I know you don't like me. Your patronizing attempts are mis-guided. If you can't keep to the topic and instead drag down the discussion to personal attacks, please refrain from posting further in this thread. Thank you.
:roll:
I know I made promises to you in the past which I was unable to deliver on for all sorts of reason but I too feel I was offered the cold treatment and condescending comments.
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