Topic: Combining Forces - Collaboration

[cfavreau]

Everyone,

I would like to propose a collaboration on a software package.   By package I mean group of software packaged together... not really one single piece of software.

One thing that I have been thinking about for a while is that there is no good "does it all" software for hobbiest.  I know... Laser Boy does alot but it does not make it really easy to make a show and it does not talk directly to an output device...

The one thing that other companies excel at is offering a complete solution.

Now we do have really great and inexpensive solutions for individual problems however no one stop shop.  Hobbiest have to go all over the place to get all of their software needs.

What about getting together and assembling a group of applications that cover everything you would need to create and display laser shows.   Writing a how to for it.

It could be sold or given away.. depending on the contents of the package.

What do you guys think?

[James]

I think it's a great idea.

That might even get some of us to think about how to enhance our own projects to complement the others. I'm also interested in the documentation aspect, as I think we might be able to help document across the board issues and add some extra information to each other's efforts.

We should come up with a nifty name for the whole idea. It should be somewhat amorphous, because hopefully it will change and grow a lot!

While we're at it, we should set our own standards and specifications. There are quite a few new ideas that are pertinent to the open standards and generic concepts that some of us depend on that have never been documented since they do not apply to proprietary systems. We could even take memberships and help manage the needs of the 'hobby laserist'. No one else is doing anything like that!

GILD ~ The Guild of Independent Laser Display!

'Independent' means that you do not depend on someone else's proprietary notion of how to do any of this.

I'm not at all against the idea of getting some money for it. The only question is what to do with the money. That could be a real problem.

MOST OF ALL, I appreciate your attitude!

James. 

[BlinkenLights]

im great at bitching so ill be the tester

[James]

im great at bitching so ill be the tester

GAWD! It's starting already !!!

F&*K YOU TOO! 

James. 

[satje]

I am in

[drlava]

Sounds interesting to me.  What would the stated goal of the 'guild' be?

  One thing to be aware of.. the group needs to verify that all of the contributors do not currently own or have owned in the past hardware or software that contained a shrinkwrap agreement requiring them to 'not produce software or hardware which may end up competing with said purchased software or hardware'.

[James]

NOT MEEEEEEEEEE !!!!!            

I'm not polluted, as it were. 

I've never agreed to anything! 

Ever.

James.

[no-esc]

I am in... and I have experience.. how boring and dry it may be at creating task based help files..

aka..

-So you want to do this?

-step1
-step2

etc..


Since my programing skills are nill.. I volunteer guide direction, assembly and step writing process...

Of course I want to push buttons, click things till they break so I can report back that as well...


Please add me in...


Len

[James]

Please add me in...

Nope.

Sorry.

This is a very exclusive group. 

Actually.... we should not impose any kind of hierarchy of membership other than the obvious titles that people get when they do something. That way if any dispute comes about, we'll just have to resort to hand to hand fight to the death; winner takes the argument.

I don't think it needs to be a gonverment of any kind. I'd just like to say I am in the GILD and we know what we're doing.

James. 

PS. I have to admit..... I'm starting to really like the idea of not allowing some people. However, that seems to have been sorted out here.

[no-esc]

I did not mean I was in any way in charge of it.. I meant we could have like a testers/step writer group and bounce ideas off each other...

[meandean]

Now we do have really great and inexpensive solutions for individual problems however no one stop shop.  Hobbiest have to go all over the place to get all of their software needs.

What about getting together and assembling a group of applications that cover everything you would need to create and display laser shows.   Writing a how to for it.

  I'm for that!

One thing to be aware of.. the group needs to verify that all of the contributors do not currently own or have owned in the past hardware or software that contained a shrinkwrap agreement requiring them to 'not produce software or hardware which may end up competing with said purchased software or hardware'.

  I think James and I fit that bill, as we play fiddle in isolated sound-proof booths without regard to the rest of the world.

[James]

I did not mean I was in any way in charge of it.. I meant we could have like a testers/step writer group and bounce ideas off each other...

I'm just goofing with you.

We need all the help we can get putting together all the separate pieces into a decent pool of information.

If you want to put some organization skills into that, it would prolly be motivational to others.

Now, where is my crown and scepter?

....... Oh, wait..... Here it is!

http://akrobiz.com/laserboy/forum/index.php/topic,406.0/msg,5009.html

James.

[cfavreau]

Independent Laser Display Association ! :0 Just kidding.

Looks like we have something to go on.

About charging for software.  There are some hobby software that costs money.  Albeit not very much... you put a few not very muches together and you get too much some times.   One of goals of this would be to reduce that.   I am sure we could put something together which wouldn't cost anything except our time to put them together.   Any thoughts on this? Lite versions for free?

*** The first place in my opinion to start is identifiying what software packages go in and what documentation needs to written.  Think of this kind of like a Hobby laser Show CD compilation.  Here is a list I have so far (if your software costs > $100 it does not make it to the list).  Software that has a price tag gets a $ next to it.

Drawing/Editing Software:
Laser Boy
Monkey Tools
ILdA SoS$
Laser Cam$
Sagamon Editor
Sergey's Tools
C4R0's Bitmap Tracer
Some Other Bitmap Tracing Tool I can't remember the name of...

Show Creation and Playing:
LFI Player
Spaghetti $
PopelScan

Sound Editing:
Audacity

Documents:
List of DACs along with build instructions and schematics
Adam's Scanner Tuning Tutorial
How To Laser Boy
I like to burn things with lasers, i.e. maybe laser shows aren't for me.
How To Make a Laser Projector (what parts do I buy?)
How to create a laser show from A to Z (artwork to show creation)
- in other words now that I have this software, how to be productive with it
Laser Safety?
* Keep in mind we don't have to write all of this... we could make PDf's of web pages,
and posts that are out there already with permission of course).

Frames/Artwork/Shows:
Test Frames (not from Pangolin)
Sample Shows for Spaghetti
Sample Shows for PopelScan
Sample Shows for LFI Player (does anyone have any?)

Most of the above software really does have any good set of how to documents with it.

I think the main point is that everything a hobbiest needs is in one place.

That is all I can think of...

[cfavreau]

I got it!  I got it!  Here is the name for the group:

Laser Boyz Club

You gotta be down with the LBC.

[James]

That is all I can think of...

That's great!

All we have to do is start filling in the blanks.

Maybe each one of us with any one of these parts should think about writing a decent description of what it is and what it does!

James.