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About FrameServer
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If you have a camera attached to your Macintosh computer, FrameServer will
provide your WWW home pages with the option for outside webbers to look into your
office. For example, have a look in my
office. Whenever someone clicks the FrameServer hyperlink on your home
page, you will hear a knock on the door, and 2 seconds later a photograph is made. This photograph gets saved as a jpeg file on your hard disk, which is sent to
whoever clicked the hyperlink. FrameServer can be used with any CGI-compliant WWW server (such as WebStar or WebCenter) running on any Macintosh computer equipped with a QuickTime-compatible camera. FrameServer is compatible with Netscape and Internet Explorer web browsers.
How does it work?
The software uses the Common Gateway Interface standard, and is operated via
Apple Events (thanks to Jon Wiederspan for his excellent example code!).
Frameserver starts up in the background when some clicks its hyperlink,
and quits automatically after a photograph has been taken. You will never notice its use (apart from the annoying knocks on the door, and
the odd twinkle of your screen). If you are using all your memory for, say,
Photoshop, FrameServer will simply not run, and
an error message will be sent to the webber trying to enter your office.
Getting FrameServer
You can download FrameServer from the
info-mac archives.
Installation
Installation is straightforward. Put the application in the same folder as
MacHTTP 2.0 or WebStar. Then put the following html code in your home page html
document: Have a look in my <A HREF="/FrameServer.cgi$/office.jpeg">office</A>
The path in front of the $ dollar sign tells MacHTTP or WebStar where to find
the FrameServer application, the path after the $ dollar sign tells FrameServer where
to put the jpeg file containing your picture. Make sure that the directory where
the jpeg file is put is accessible from the web (i.e., within the MacHTTP or
WebStar folder hierarchy)!
Memory usage
It depends on how many colors your default screen has. Mine is 16 bits color, so
I've put the memory partition up to 1 MB, just to play safe. Try out what works
best for your configuration. It might well do with less than 750 K in your
circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
I set up the web server, plugged in a camera, I get a good image in Apple Video Player, but the image FrameServer generates is always black.
A:
FrameServer uses the default video input. There is no way to change these settings. If you have multiple video inputs on your machine (Composite, S-Video, TV), make sure you plug the camera in the default one. This is usually Composite.
Disclaimer
This software comes on an as-is basis. The author does not accept any liability
whatsoever for damage resulting from its use.
FrameServer is e-mail-ware. If you use this software, please send me an e-mail
with the URL of the web page where FrameServer is utilized.
Non-commercial utilization only! The software may not be sold or in any other way
used in a profitable manner without my prior consent. This software may not be
distributed without this read me file.
I will not answer questions by e-mail which clearly demonstrate that you did not
read this read-me file carefully.
Version History
1.2: Added Web Center 1.0 compatibility.
1.1: Now PPC native, added Internet Explorer compatibility.
1.0: first release (68K only).
If you have problems or comments concerning this WWW server, please
contact Roel Vertegaal
Copyright 1995 Dept. of Ergonomics, University of Twente, The Netherlands. All rights reserved.
