text stringlengths 0 4k |
|---|
`4$$$$$o. .o$$$$$$o..o$$$$$$$ $$o..o$$$$o.`$$$$o. '.o$ $$$$.oOOOOOOOOo. |
.`$$$$ $$$' $$$$ $$' $$P'o$ .o$$' $$$$ $$ o$$$ $$$$ . $$ $$ . |
.o$ $$$$ $$$ $$$$ $$ $$$ $$$$.o$$P'.$$ $o.`$$$ $$$$ : $$ $$ |
$$$$ $$$$ $$$. $$$$ $$. $$o.`$ `$$$. $o. o$$. $$o.`$$. $$$$ ' $$ $$ |
`4$$$$$$P' 4$$$$$$P'`$$$$$$$$ $o.`4$$$$$$o.`$$$$$$$ 4$$$$$$$$o.`$ $$ |
<=============================================- o $$$$ o$ $$ |
<====- SAC - Superior Art Creations INet WHQ -=- .o$ $$$$.oOOOOOOOOo. |
<====- LKCC - Last KC Computerclub INet WHQ - .o$$ $$$$ -=========> |
<===========================================- $$$$ $$$$ -= roy => |
`4$$$$$$P' |
``` |
### ASCII Art Display in Windows |
It is usually not very hard to display 7 bit ASCII's on any Platform, Windows, Mac, Linux etc.. |
All support non-proportional or fixed-width/fixed-pitch or monospace typeface fonts (uses fixed glyph widths) such as Courier, FixedSys, Monaco, , Lucinda Console or Terminal and the ANSI Standard X3.4 from 1968. |
This is unfortunately not the case with MS DOS 8 bit "Block" or extended ASCII's where the extended MS DOS Character Set is used. |
## Style 3 - "Block" or "High ASCII" Style ASCII Art |
So called "block ASCII" or "high ASCII" uses the extended characters of the 8-bit code page 437, which is a proprietary standard that was introduced by IBM in 1979 (ANSI Standard x3.16) for the IBM PC and MS DOS operating system in an effort to standardize graphic character representations and cursor control. |
"Block ASCIIs" were widely used on the PC during the 1990s until the Internet replaced BBSes as the main communication platform for computer enthusiasts around the world. "Block ASCIIs" were dominating the PC Text Art Scene. |
The 8-bit Character Set was a "PC Standard" and supported from the first, until the last MS DOS Version but is today rarely supported by any software anymore, in a world dominated by MS Windows. Microsoft elimited the support of ANSI Standard x3.16 almost entirely in MS Windows for unknown reasons. |
It was never supported by any other Computer Hardware or Operating System. Apple (Macintosh), Commodore (AMIGA), SCO (Unix) nor Linux ever suppported "Block ASCII" or ANSI Standard x3.16. It became a "pseudo standard" that was destined to die. |
Since almost all BBS Systems running on a IBM or compatible PC between the end of the 80'th until the end of the 90'th were written for MS DOS, ANSI Standard x3.16 or Block ASCII was used by most Sysops for their BBS designs. |
Also most PC Warez groups used Block ASCII for their .NFO File designs. They continue to do so until this day. The heyday of "Block ASCII" might be a thing of the past, but it is not dead nor forgotten yet. |
### "Block" ASCII display in Windows |
There are 3 general options available to view Block ASCII's properly in Windows. |
Option 1 |
You have to open a DOS Window and use the classic "type" command or a classic MS DOS Text Viewer/Editor to display the ASCII properly. |
Option 2 |
You can also use Windows Notepad as alternative. You must set the Font used by Notepad to "Terminal". The result is not the same as in a MS DOS Window. |
It is more looking like a inverted version of it. You can design ASCII's that look great in a DOS Window and ugly in Notepad and vice versa or one that looks good in both. You can see what I mean in the following example (screenshot image). |
=> ./underground_text_art/ASCII_notepad_acidview_compare.png notepad/acidview compare |
Option 3 |
Use a Windows Tool that emulates Block ASCII. The best Tool I know of is ACiD View for Windows. |
## PC "ANSI" Art |
The "colored" cousin of ASCII, ANSI is pretty much not supported by Windows anymore. You can use the 220KB Windows Tool ACiDView to view them (download here) or open a DOS Window with ANSI.SYS Driver loaded (which is not the case by default) and use the "type" command again or you simply open it with a DOS ANSI Editor like TheDraw (download here). |
TheDraw will be quite a challenge for somebody who grew up with Windows and Mouse and is not familiar with the use and handling of old fashioned MS DOS Applications. TheDraw is still useful today, not just to create ANSI's and ASCII's, but also to easily convert files from ANSI to ASCII format (I don't know any Windows Tool that does that). |
ANSI Colors were very limited but better than "Black and White" ASCII's. 16 static colors that could not be changed were available as Foreground Color. |
The first 8 could also be used as Background Color. Although the 16 Foreground Colors were also available as "Blinking" color (making it a total of 32 Foreground Colors), did artists avoid those blinking colors after a short time of popularity. |
It's funny, but exactly the same happened on the Internet. Blinking HTML Code was hip until people got tired and annoyed by it until it pretty much disappeared completely. |
=> ./underground_text_art/Colors_Of_ANSI.gif The Colors of ANSI |
Here is an ANSI which I created for a friend of mine and fellow Sysop in 1994. The Name of the BBS was Skylight BBS. It is one of my first ANSI's which was taken very serious and defined my own style "Roy-Style". I wrote a bit more about this particular ANSI in my Blog. About Skylight BBS Ansi Logo (1994) and Deviance NFO File Ascii Logo (2002). |
=> ./underground_text_art/roy_sky_ansi2.png Skylight BBS ANSI |
## Further Reading and Related Resources |
If you are interested in learning more about the history of classic ASCII Art, check the Text (ASCII) Art History Article written by Joan G. Stark in 2000, my ASCII Art Academy content and also the other quality sites that can be found at my Art/Demoscene Links Section. |
Also, to learn more about ANSI and ASCII Text Art, BBS'es, Demoscene, Warez Scene, the beginning of the computer age etc., check out my Links Section and also my Merchandizing Page where you can find related DVDs, DVD-ROMs and Books about the topic. |
## Videos, Tutorials and ASCII Art by Various Artists |
* Online Videos releated to text art, BBS, demoscene, SAC and Warez |
* ASCII Art Academy - Tutorials, History and more to ASCII Art |
* ASCII/ANSI Art Galleries with artwork by me and various other ASCII/ANSI artists |
* ASCII Nudes Collection - 30 Years of "Naked" ASCII Art - 30 pieces of ASCII art showing nude girls created by hand by various different artists. A "boss key" feature is available too, which is interesting by itself, showing additional examples of great ASCII art without nudity. |
* "Morph" - ASCII Animation (ASCIIMation) using JavaScript created by Skylined. It "morphs" a number of ASCII pictures from one into another and finishes with a great "mandelbrot" fractal zoom. |
* "Star Field" - Another nice ASCII Animation using JavaScript created by Skylined showing a horizontal semi 3d star field animation like the ones that were popular in old computer demos and intros. |
File: academy/tutorials/tut_atkins.txt |
https://web.archive.org/web/20210226065248/https://vyznev.net/ascii/ada/aaatutorial.txt |
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A short tutorial on making and posting ASCII Art |
By Martin Atkins (March 1999) |
This document was based on 'Make a Start in ASCII Art' by Daniel Au |
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