OSNews

I liked those drawings Absolutely brilliant ^^

Why does OSNews need a comic strip? I just read the comments to get a good laugh from time to time.

I like the comic strip idea. Looking forward
to reading future releases ...

I had a good laugh with XP on the OLPC

as said above, putting a little more contrast in the images and improve your writing a little bit might make this a good idea

Would be nice if the OSNews readers could post their own comics in the forum, with an online painting tool embedded in the "Post a new comment" section. This of course should only be enabled for the "Comic" threads.
Some links:
http://canvaspaint.org/
http://www.flashpaint.com/
http://www.sketchr.net/draw/

Another IT comic link:

http://www.bugbash.net/

I think this is a good idea. Basically, all of us need to step back once in a while and laugh at ourselves, and our pet OSes. There would be a lot less flaming.

In fact, to cut down on the number of endless arguments I went ahead and settled them for everyone:

1. Gnome is better than KDE.
2. The BSD license IS freer than the GPL.
3. Windows and Microsoft are evil.
4. Macs are way cooler than anything else.
5. People who run Linux are much smarter than other computer users.

Your welcome!

http://xkcd.com/303/ for example.

Comics are a good idea -- a good way to cut loose. A few name suggestions:

* "Shabang" ( an allusion to #!)
* "Platform Reform"
* "Operating Systems Anonymous"
* "Welcome to the O.S."
* "The Wizard of OS"

G'luck!
-dotMatt

well, some of them were decent, but Mastercard commercial jokes are the less refuge of the humorless, don't you know...:)

Go for it Thom, I think it's a good idea, I love webcomics

Now, the idea of letting the readers write their own comic strips as comments is also great, albeit difficult to moderate (and we know th3 intarnetz is full of dumb people).

Anyway, I think it's a cool idea

You had me with you right up to #5. That one should have said BSD. :-)

I loved the putting XP on OLPC one... The others are nice enough, imho you should continue.

I think the comic is a great idea! Here are a few more suggestions:

"OSNewt"
"!swenSO¡"
"A patch in time..."
"The OS at the End of the Galaxy"
"The Lighter Side of OSNews" (just to be practical)
"Fudgecicles of Doom" (just to be random)

And I second Benjamin's recommendation of http://xkcd.com/ for one of the greats in the field of tech comics!

but much, much worse.

Don't give up your day job, but respect for trying.

idle hands (make for devils work)
Comics SP2 (windows ref)
OSsketch (as opposed to os news)
OSscribble (follow on from last name)

I think in a world that can be dark and dismal sometimes given the news reports we all watch, a little light hearted humour is always good.

After all, this is just computer stuff, a little light heartedness might serve to make us less anal and contrite. We all have opinions (no right no wrong) but having hissy fits over which OS is the best or which vendor pissed in your corn flakes over a bad service pack or whatever else; taken over all the current world mayhem seems just so silly.

If we all take our "two cents" and put it towards vanquishing the current world mayhem, I think we would be all that much better for it. Banging at APPLE, Microsoft, OpenBSD, Richard Stallman sure is not going to make the killing stop and is pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

In a world where everyone seemingly is an IT expert, maybe using that IT expertise to solve some real issues that plague us all as a civilization might be of more assistance. It is all relative.

I like reading OSNEWS (any IT related or non-IT related news) as it is a constant education and a way to keep current. Understanding that everyone is entitled to their opinion does not mean I necessary want or wish to read it or be exposed to it. Personally I like to make my own decisions (and mistakes) without anyone else' assistance.

We do take ourselves too seriously sometimes and laughter is always "good medicine".

I say Keep the funnies flowing; that is if you care to read my opinion.

Peace to all

Why not just call it ...

OSNEWS Funnies
OSNEWS Funny Paper

They sure made me laugh!

As a way to summarize and poke fun at past stories and people's reactions, I think the comics are a great idea.

My favorite computer/software/programming sites are sites that provide me with information AND can make me laugh. A little humor goes a long way :-)

I'd call it "Crude".
That would allude to the style of drawing, as well as the kind of humour - at least if you take a fanboy's point of view.
It could also mean crude oil in a sense of "some unrefined stuff that can be used to lower friction (within the community)".
The title should probably be written by hand or at least in a font that comes sufficiently close to the look of handwriting.

By far the best joke, imo, was the one about acid :-D

Edited 2007-12-28 18:39 UTC

How about posting less flame-bait from some blog somewhere just so the local cheerleaders can rehash the same tired old argument again ?

If you ask me, these somics belong on your blog. I would be happy to read them there. It's not what I'm looking for on OSNews. IMHO and all that.

OSmuse? A half-witty contradiction perhaps...

OSmews? The cat's...

OStentatious?

OSCOM/IX?


:>)

I like em , would also be cool to make some comics based on the user coments, like making characters from the forum appear at work chitchatting these topics from time to time. could grant some laughs indeed

Do I like the jokes? well, depends... on the jokes :-)
I liked the Acid one.

The hand drawings have a kind of rough anti-technology vibe that suits the subject matter, making fun of tech. It also gives you the freedom to do them where ever as a pen and pad are highly portable and always useful.

I would suggest scanning them into some sort of vector based program like Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator. It will keep the same feel, but will make it easier to manipulate them.

My one suggestion would be to ink them with a wider pen such as a Sharpie. (I'm not sure if you have Sharpies in Europe, but this http://www.accessoriesallareas.com/images/Sharpie%20Marker%... is what I'm talking about.) The vector drawing programs would help with this as it is easy to turn up the thickness of a line.

As for names:
Software Error
Core Dump
IDtenT Errors
IO Error (Idiot Operator Error)

I found them pretty amusing, especially the first one.

There's always room for more laughs.

Name Idea: OSRubes

However I think it's a good idea. Don't set goals though. If you're not inspired, don't force yourself. If, one week, you have several ideas in mind, go ahead. Also, I can imagine you could accept user submissions. Some people might have witty drawings, I guess some OSN readers are pretty creative. That would be nice. My take: Add a thumbnail in the left column for the latest drawing(s).

Nice, I liked it, but make it a little bit darker, that's easy with any Image Software. Even touching the levels will help.

Keep up the good work!

Name? I Don't have a Name.
Something with a double meaning: OZ-one

No I don't like those at all!

The comics are trolling pure and simple. I know lots of people are going to say "It's just a joke! Lighten up!", but that is exactly the problem. It is common for people to use the "Joke" format in an argument as a way of making an trolling statement without having to back up their position. When they are called on it, the chime out "It was a joke. Lighten up." If you put those comics on your site, you are making a public announcment that you run a biased site with no credible information.

Of course, that is your right, but you should be aware of the choice you are making.

As another poster commented, the jokes would be better suited for a non-news site.

If you do choose to put them on this site, I would suggest "The Flaming Troll" as the title. Then make it clear that the comments section is expected to be one huge flamefest, as that is what it will be whether you want it to or not, so instead of fighting the inevitable, you might as well embrace it.

Edited 2007-12-28 20:48

Thom, I really appreciate your efforts and everything but I think the comic thing is something that you should try a bit on your blog first. I'm sure the idea will evolve. Now it's still awfully geeky and a bit embarrassing.

The joke about the acid test is pretty funny, though.

I like the comments.

you could call them

OSNews Comedic Commentary U'll Love To. or OCCULT.

i know its pretty crappy, but all I could come up with.

I like the idea of geek comics. Sadly, even though you say you can't draw you still draw better than me

Name suggestions:
geekomic, grawkmic, komic
OSLampoon, geekbreak, ^C, ESC.

And if I think of more I'll post them.

i thought the podcast idea was way better

I think this is a good idea, completely apart from whether anyone thinks it's good or not. It's a chance for you to release some steam and exercise some creativity and to do it in a format that implies and expects that you aren't %100 serious, allowing you perhaps more room to say things. Go for it.

I laughed at the Windows on OLPC comic. I like how the factory from the Stallman/OpenBSD comic looks just like the little plastic factory pieces from the board game Axis and Allies (shot of it here: http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=industrialbt0.jpg ).

Thanks for all the positive replies guys and girls, I'm very happy about them and I'm really close to officially launching the comic as soon as Adam gets back from his vacation so we can think of a way to integrate it properly into OSN v4.

I'm fairly close to naming the comic series "The Hike to the Sea", a very, very, very obscure Be, Inc. reference. Not sure though, might be too abstract.

http://www.bebox.nu/history.php?s=history/1991#hike

Edited 2007-12-28 22:43 UTC

You failed.

Seriously, they're not even near to the definition of "funny".

That's not your fault. If I was in your place, I would have drawn even crappier things. Simply, a webcomic is not something everyone can improvise.

Keep on the good OSNews work and leave webcomics to people that can do it. I'd love if you can have a deal with, say, XKCD to have him draw a weekly OSNews-related strip, for example.

I like it.
Maybe put a disclaimer on all saying they are not to be taken seriously, and disable comments on them?

Should call it:
"Doodlenews"
"The OSNews Reel"
"Day Dreams of OSNews"
"OSNews for Idiots"

"Os Relief"
"Comedy OS"
"(O)perating (S)ystems"
"SKECHTEDos"

Edited 2007-12-28 23:20

I am in favor of this; however, the format would be kind of hard to fit on this site. You don't really want to put them in the article, or flames and anti-comedic snobbery will result.

Perhaps a weekly-or-so post with comics about recent articles would be in order. A bit like this one, really.

Well I certainly liked them. What I'd suggest is maybe a weekly wrapup with a few comics covering some of the week's headlines. After all they're a good reminder not to take everything so seriously.

http://xs122.xs.to/xs122/07526/osnewsthomidea.png

I think putting out a weekly topical comic, selected from submissions from osnews registered users would work well.

Yeah, I think it's definitely worth the effort. I mean, I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment because I do read lots of comments (at least on some articles). And I like (web)comics, too. So yeah, I'd be at least a little interested. Everybody could always use more laughs. And don't worry about the art. Sure, some people are graphics whores, but there's still some people who enjoy NetHack (et al.) in a plain ASCII term.

:-)

(potential names?)

OS Snooze
OS Nuisance
OS Noose
LamerOS
HilariOS

forgot to suggest one in the last post.

How about "My Take" ? I know, not particularly creative, but that would work as a comic title, since we are all already familiar with it as a segue into Editorial Land.

James Hardie (I assume that is how its spelt) - an asbestos company has been based in Holland for sometime. Alright mocking asbestos in general is fine until Bernie Banton for eg. (an Australian asbestoses and related cancer sufferer) suffered without knowing. Thom you live in the Netherlands.

Bernie turns up to the then Australian Health Minister Tony Abbot's place and gets everyone to sign a petition to put a drug for this cancer on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, ie. make it cheaper and government funded. Just weeks and days before Bernie passed away.
Abbot says it was a "stunt and that Mr Banton has an impure heart".

He died a fighter after Abbot and Co. (the Liberal Party to Labor) lost the election.

But on the lighter side, which is hypocritical of me, maybe you can call it:

JamOS Hardly (?)
Or maybe after those 2 comedians, one was Abbot. I think the other was Costello, mockery on the Aussies previous political Treasurer.

If you really wish to leave it in place.

"So, the big question that arises from all this: do you like this? Should we, OSNews, think about continuing this, and giving it a permanent place on OSNews? I enjoy making them, that's for sure."

Why not? Time and time again we've been told that OSNews is not just about Operating Systems which is fine since a news site such as OSN should bring in some interesting tidbits apart from the main OS news flow.

Then we get to hear from Eugenia that she no longer is interested in operating systems and she starts writing about video editing. Akward and kind of clumsy to have one of your former most prominent editors discard the (original) primary purpose of the site. If that doesn't signal things going downhill, I don't know what will.

And now this. Fun as a one off idea Thom, but please keep it for an annual "Best of 20xx" post or post them on your blog or start a sister site.

Then again, it's your site and you do what you want with it. Just don't expect old faithful users and visitors to remain faithful. Or users and visitors for that matter.

the xmas one hints that the artist have a healthy interest in mythbusters.

and the deplume is a bit like a refined slashdot posting.

but the acid test i needed a hint from the comments to grasp...

anyways, if its a topic one cant laugh about, maybe its a topic not worth talking about at all?

The comic it's quite funny, but I had a lot difficulties reading the text.

Maybe is my crappy computer monitor that is dying and becoming more blurry and my glasses being dirty, but the text could be darker or something so even people with "technical difficulties" can read it properly

I liked it, while I had some problems reading some of the text (perhaps larger images or larger letters) I would like to see more like those.

Priceless -> XP on the OLPC, it is a simple image that perfectly gets the message across.

I'd submit a few.

Just put a thumbnail somewhere top-left with the latest, might as well have a dedicated page for it, so the "serious" people don't have to look at it, oh, and put "previous/next/latest/first" buttons there for the bored (like me). I recently read all of UF/CAD/PA like that Yes, I need a new gig.

Anyways, why not just use gimp+elcheapo-wacom-thingie, and a good comic font? (Or inkscape if that floats your boat).

They seem too wordy. If you were to do just that, I'd rather you create them more of like fortune cookies than comics.

If you are going to make a comic for news items that deserve them, then you should tag those fortune cookies to the news items, hidden with AJAX, so as to protect the "seriousness" of this site.

My take: I like the humour but not the presentation. A non-intrusive and text-only strip is enough for me. (sorry I'm more of a content guy)

Please make it more readable. Like scanning in black&white or whatever.

how about "Regular expressions for the iThink crowd"

Brilliant strips, wonderful ideas, but there is one thing...
"Call For Draftsman"

Look, here's what the photographers got:
http://www.whattheduck.net/

I liked the concepts fine and smiled a bit; sharing SVG would be pretty neat, so of course I am biased towards suggesting Inkscape etc. and/or a commercial artist call for interest/submissions.

That is to say, I consider it with the Mathematical Association of America's _Proofs Without Words_ sections, where it's semi-obvious from a diagram what is being implied. This is a big break from seeing 12 authors, their advisors, their advertisers (well...in some contexts) and what engine is behind a site for a few days until the real iPhone images or whatever come up. " Metadata presents last " is seldom practised anymore.

No!

AppleInsider is having a cartoonist now as well. I prefer my comic strips/cartoonists to be more talented, but to each their own.

It wasn't just the drawing, but the sarcasm was weakly done.

Reading this, I have to wonder if it'd be possible to run a collaborative webcomic.

Nice! I like the comics!

Browser: Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU like Mac OS X; it-it) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/3B48b Safari/419.3

I'm all 4 some funny stuff in OSnews, though it is not dull by itself:)
My suggestion to name something that is so not-linear and often unpredictable (especially in comments department) would be:
Ricochet
or
Ricochet OS

OSNewbs.

I forgot to add that I liked them. Especially the Vista-"cause I bent over" comment. You're humor's no more twisted than mine. (Boy are you in trouble!)

Glad you're going for it! Now let's see if I can catch the name ref when it comes out.

These cartoons are easy on the eye in a sort of south park kind of way. Def the way to go.

As for a comic name how about OSToons?

Name: Snooze!... o'Snooze..... Go Snooze!

similar to an incorrect pronunciation of (G)o..snews...

KUTGW

but over the years of reading this website I think eugenia and thom are big enough characters to make a comic out of - hmm maybe i'll do it
- BDH