Skypix
Encyclopedia
Skypix is the name of a Script Markup Language
aimed to add rich graphic content such as changeable fonts, mouse-controlled actions, animations and sound to Bulletin Board System nodes. The system was born on Amiga Systems in 1987 and available on BBS program called Skyline BBS.
Skypix was probably the world's first modern, fully interactive online graphics-and-sound protocol
. Released as part of the Atredes Bulletin Board System
system (later renamed Skyline) in 1987, Skypix for the first time allowed BBS sysop
s to run systems with graphics, fonts, mouse-controlled actions, animations and sound. It predated Mosaic
- and thus the World Wide Web
itself - by several years, though it had most of the same capabilities.
Technically a proprietary extension of ANSI
codes, Skypix had a rich command set and featured the first "authoring program", Skypaint, which could generate Skypix files directly from a familiar-looking paint program. All a sysop had to do was insert these files in his system, and suddenly people with Skypix-enabled terminal programs were presented with a rich, completely interactive graphics interface, as opposed to the ANSI graphics that were the state of the art until then.
Skypix might have remained a curiosity if creator Michael Cox hadn't thought to include a programming interface. Sysops who were conversant with the ARexx
language (a variant of REXX
for the Amiga) could write games and other programs using Skypix graphics and include them anywhere in their systems. This resulted in an enthusiastic group of Skypix hobbyists and many firsts, from the world's first fully graphical online chess games to the first online graphic adventure games, to the first online paint and photo galleries. These were widely traded and the average Skyline sysop had many of them on their systems.
Skypix was available only on the Amiga
computer, running on the program Skyline
over the BBS and from BBS service side and a terminal called Skyterm from the side of the customer. Amiga at that time was the only computer with sufficient graphics capabilities to make the project a reality. At one time over a thousand Skyline systems were operating the world over, thanks to the Amiga's international popularity. Amiga inventor Jay Miner
himself ran a Skyline system for a time.
Markup language
A markup language is a modern system for annotating a text in a way that is syntactically distinguishable from that text. The idea and terminology evolved from the "marking up" of manuscripts, i.e. the revision instructions by editors, traditionally written with a blue pencil on authors' manuscripts...
aimed to add rich graphic content such as changeable fonts, mouse-controlled actions, animations and sound to Bulletin Board System nodes. The system was born on Amiga Systems in 1987 and available on BBS program called Skyline BBS.
Skypix was probably the world's first modern, fully interactive online graphics-and-sound protocol
Communications protocol
A communications protocol is a system of digital message formats and rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in telecommunications...
. Released as part of the Atredes Bulletin Board System
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
system (later renamed Skyline) in 1987, Skypix for the first time allowed BBS sysop
SysOp
A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community. It may also be used to refer to administrators of other Internet-based network services....
s to run systems with graphics, fonts, mouse-controlled actions, animations and sound. It predated Mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
- and thus the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
itself - by several years, though it had most of the same capabilities.
Technically a proprietary extension of ANSI
Ansi
Ansi is a village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia....
codes, Skypix had a rich command set and featured the first "authoring program", Skypaint, which could generate Skypix files directly from a familiar-looking paint program. All a sysop had to do was insert these files in his system, and suddenly people with Skypix-enabled terminal programs were presented with a rich, completely interactive graphics interface, as opposed to the ANSI graphics that were the state of the art until then.
Skypix might have remained a curiosity if creator Michael Cox hadn't thought to include a programming interface. Sysops who were conversant with the ARexx
ARexx
ARexx is an implementation of the REXX language for the Amiga, written in 1987 by William S. Hawes, with a number of Amiga-specific features beyond standard REXX facilities. Like most REXX implementations, ARexx is an interpreted language...
language (a variant of REXX
REXX
REXX is an interpreted programming language that was developed at IBM. It is a structured high-level programming language that was designed to be both easy to learn and easy to read...
for the Amiga) could write games and other programs using Skypix graphics and include them anywhere in their systems. This resulted in an enthusiastic group of Skypix hobbyists and many firsts, from the world's first fully graphical online chess games to the first online graphic adventure games, to the first online paint and photo galleries. These were widely traded and the average Skyline sysop had many of them on their systems.
Skypix was available only on the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
computer, running on the program Skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...
over the BBS and from BBS service side and a terminal called Skyterm from the side of the customer. Amiga at that time was the only computer with sufficient graphics capabilities to make the project a reality. At one time over a thousand Skyline systems were operating the world over, thanks to the Amiga's international popularity. Amiga inventor Jay Miner
Jay Miner
Jay Glenn Miner , was a famous integrated circuit designer, known primarily for his work in multimedia chips and as the "father of the Amiga"...
himself ran a Skyline system for a time.
External links
- http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/software/expanded.html - "BBS: The DocumentaryBBS: The DocumentaryBBS: The Documentary is a 3-disc, 8-episode documentary about the subculture born from the creation of the bulletin board system filmed by computer historian Jason Scott Sadofsky of textfiles.com....
, An Overview of BBS Programs", expanded view. This document is part of the making of the DVD. - http://www.skepticfiles.org/cowtext/comput~1/ripscrip.htm - (Ripscrip Graphic Protocol Specs citating briefly Skypix as primitive markup language)
- http://issuu.com/adpware/docs/mc097 - MC MIcroComputer Magazine issue nr. 97, June 1990, Italy; PDF Collection of Computer Magazine MC-Microcomputer (In Italian Language) citing briefly Skypix as emerging promising language for BBS.
- http://forums.randi.org/archive/index.php/t-8190.html - "Computers are no fun anymore", a discussion of 2003 on JREF Forum (James Randi Educational Foundation) featuring the author of Skyline BBS participating the discussion.
- http://aminet.net/package/docs/hyper/ansiguide112 - Ansi/Skypix Specs and Tutorials at Amiga AminetAminetAminet is the world's largest archive of Amiga-related software and files. Aminet was originally hosted by several universities' FTP sites, and is now available on CD-ROM and on the web.-History:...
official repository (in AmigaGuideAmigaguideAmigaGuide is a hypertext document file format designed for the Amiga, files are stored in ASCII so it is possible to read and edit a file without the need for special software.Since Workbench 2.1 an Amiga Guide system for O.S...
and text format).