FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

The following parameters where established prior to publication of this latest version of our web pages. Although Bruce originally published these pages in August of 1995, the design and code associated with these pages have withstood the test of time and thus remained generally unchanged since December 1997 (except for updates to text/photographs and the addition of the Microsoft Agent Technology in 2000).

• Here's what you'll need to view and listen to the Microsoft Agents used on our web site:
  • Windows^® 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0 (x86), Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista operating system
  • Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later
  • A Pentium 100 MHz PC (or faster)
  • At least 16 MB of RAM
  • At least 661K free disk space for the Microsoft Agent component files and an additional 1.34 MB for the L&H TruVoice Text-To-Speech engine files. These two files will automatically download to your computer directly from the Microsoft web site. You MUST click "Yes" and install all files to successfully view the Microsoft Agent. If you are having difficulty automatically downloading these files, go to the Microsoft Agent downloads page.
  • Windows XP and Windows Vista users may also need to install the SAPI 4.0 runtime if you can not hear any speech from the Microsoft Agent. You can download this component freely at the Microsoft Agent downloads page
  • A Windows-compatible sound card
  • A compatible set of speakers and microphone (recommended)
  • Our web site uses the Microsoft developed Agent characters Merlin, Peedy, Robby and Genie. If these characters were not permanently installed on your computer, then you will receive a message at the beginning of each session prompting you to download the character files. To avoid this prompt in the future, go to the Microsoft Agent downloads page and install all four characters on your computer. It's Free!
• You will need to install the free basic Real Player and also the Microsoft Media Player to take full advantage of the Internet TV, Internet Radio and our own on-line video.
• The illusion that each photograph is casting a shadow and floating over the horizontal bar is accomplished using pure HTML. All HTML was hand coded in a simple text editor since most (if not all) WYSIWYG editors will destroy the layout.
• The page background image file is the result of an afternoon in a library. It reads "hello" in several dozen languages.
• The background image files used at the top of each page where created as small as possible to reduce the bandwidth load (5 X 5 pixels).
• No flash animation, ActiveX, plug-ins or Java will be used on this web site unless absolutely required to deliver content (ie: video, audio streams). In order to deliver cross-platform, client-side applications, we invested in DHTML. The menu system used on this web site degrades nicely for clients that cannot run Javascript code.
• The VGA 16 color palette will be used rather than the 216 color safety palette when ever possible in order to be accessible by the largest variety of systems.
• If possible, only four colors will be used on any single page to allow complete accessibility by some hardware platforms running H/PC Explorer.
• All photography used must be in a black and white format to allow for the greatest accessibility and to reduce the bandwidth load.
• Presentation techniques must allow the site to be generated completely by database.
• Each page must be fully viewable when printed on a black and white printer.
• All navigational aids must be capable of being automatically generated from information contained in a database.
• All written information must remain in text form (including tool bars, and navigational aids) to allow for ease of translation into many languages.
• Pages must be fully viewable by the largest number of web browsers possible while also meeting the above parameters.
• Each page must use a unique variation of layout, use of colors, etc.
• Guidelines for creating web pages accessible to people with disabilities will be followed (including, but not limited to, the navigatonal aids are keyboard accessible)
• Because the creation of graphics requires an additional (and more costly) step in the publication process, the use of graphical content will be kept to a minimum.
• The total size of any single page (including code and graphics) should remain less than 40K bytes and thus, remain easily accessible to remote users equipped only with dial-up accounts. (Note: All page at this site could be dramatically reduced in size by 40-60% in the future. This "extra" code remains to allow accessibility for previous generation web browsers such as Netscape Navigator version 3 which do not support style sheets and also require a variety of work-arounds.
• The total number of words published on any single page should be less than 1000.
• The site has historically receives an average of 28,000 visits per year.
• The pages where generated with Pippin's prototype Page Builder application (an ASP application that has since been converted to ASP.Net).
• All content is machine translated into multiple languages.
• The Ambigram at the top of this faq page reads "Bruce Pippin". Flip the phrase on its head, and read it both ways.
• These pages are best viewed with the Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4 or greater. The pages where tested with a wide variety of web browsers including The Microsoft Internet Explorer version 2.0, 3.02, and 4.01; Netscape Communicator version 4.0; WebTV, the lastest AOL integrated web browser, and (yes, even) Lynx.

Contact Bruce C. Pippin with your comments and suggestions.

Page Retrieved:

Sunday, February 05, 2012 08:40 UTC

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