any sysops using sixel?
reddit / bbs

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robbiew · 2023-12-22 00:23

I know sixel comes up every so often, but just wondering if/how sysops
are using sixel images in their BBS. I added hardware gallery that
shows a rando image + text on login, but it was really just to test
things out.

I wrote a script that detects if a term type is capable of displaying
sixel (SyncTerm and MagiTerm support it), then loads one randomly. Not
rocket science or anything that interesting (yet), I know.

I'm not sure if sixel really works from me from a nostalgia
perspective,  either, but could be fun to modernize some aspects of
the experience...?

What's your sixel secret sauce?

​

https://preview.redd.it/dvuw7hnhpq7c1.png?width=1308&format=png&auto=w
ebp&s=50400b5b0013d0fbb26268cb6bc298ffafc2b5b6

https://preview.redd.it/jpy1wysloq7c1.png?width=1308&format=png&auto=w
ebp&s=829816150679d6212987ce072258def1ba897665

https://preview.redd.it/8zkta0tloq7c1.png?width=1308&format=png&auto=w
ebp&s=032ab4c537c03d62f3ee1dddcd1b05489e26195b

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RolandMT32 · 2023-12-22 00:38

I have a login matrix (for Synchronet) that I wrote, which supports
themes.  I added sixel support a while ago (which are only used if it
detects the user's terminal is capable of displaying sixels).  I only
have 2-3 login themes that use sixels, which are selected randomly out
of the collection of all the themes.

I've been a little confused on the sixel support in terminals, because
apparently the beta of the next version of SyncTerm reports it's not
sixel-capable, which makes me wonder if the current method of
detecting sixel capability I've seen in several Synchronet JS scripts
isn't quite correct.

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robbiew · 2023-12-22 00:47

can you share your BBS? would love to check it out!

I'm suing 1.2b debug and it seems to be working (Ubuntu).

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RolandMT32 · 2023-12-22 00:57

Digital Distortion:
[digitaldistortionbbs.com](https://digitaldistortionbbs.com)

Upon connecting, you may or may not get one of the sixel themes..

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robbiew · 2023-12-22 01:02

OH, Nightfox! Hi -- it's j0hnny a1pha :)

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RolandMT32 · 2023-12-22 01:05

Hi :)

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ten-oh-four · 2023-12-22 08:07

I think it's neat as a novelty but for me (just me speaking here) it
doesn't really flow with the BBS aesthetic as much.

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robbiew · 2023-12-22 13:29

I tend to agree with you. Sort of feels like when RIPscript came along
and I was like, meh.

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codefenix · 2023-12-22 13:55

I make use of sixel in a couple different ways.

The first is a simple utility that converts any image to sixel format
and displays it to the user. This can be used for previewing JPG, PNG,
and GIF images right from the file menu instead of the user having to
download them first. It uses ImageMagick to do the sixel conversion in
the background before showing it to the user.

The second is with my weather mod WxCenter. I added a fun little
option to display current weather maps from sources like NOAA and the
NWS. It works in tandem with the above mod to do the sixel conversion.

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robbiew · 2023-12-22 14:08

That’s cool - makes the BBs experience more useful for sure. Weather
mod usage is a great idea

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kert_vennington · 2023-12-22 14:10

The WxCenter is an awesome way to use sixel imaging!

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ten-oh-four · 2023-12-22 18:20

Yeah same. Though a board that's 100% in RIPscript can be cool, it
still feels like a novelty to me. To each their own, though, and I dig
that people are trying to push the limits and do other creative
things.