Wednesday, August 23, 2006

J.S, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos: A HTMLViewer Example

Sorry that I haven't updated this blog recently, but my wife had double knee replacement surgery on June 15. I don't drive a car (I haven't done so for twenty years or more), and - until this past week - my wife hasn't been able to drive either, so life has been a bit difficult (and would have been a lot more difficult if it had been for the kind helpfulness of some very good friends).

I've uploaded to http://traver.org/traverrb/ a simple example of a HTMLViewer program. The source code is in Bach.zip. The program is unpolished, but you may enjoy it if you (like me) like the "Baroque croak." Some people consider J.S. Bach to be one of the greatest composers of all time (and I'm among that number).

If you have a firewall installed, the first time you run the program you may need to let the firewall know that you are giving Bach.exe permission to access the Internet. Also, I recommend broadband access (cable or DSL).

Two additional program notes:

(1) If 2/3 sounds familiar, it's because it was used as a theme song for William F. Buckley, Jr.'s "Firing Line."

(2) It's not a mistake: There is a reason for 3/2 being only 13 seconds long (see the main Program Notes for details).

One nice thing about the program is that - once compiled - there is no complicated installation. Put it anyplace you want, and run it from there. Similarly, there is no complicated uninstall process: just delete the file, and that's all that needs to be done.

It has only been tested on a Windows PC, so I would be glad to hear whether the program also works on a Mac or Linux. As always, feedback is much appreciated.

Barry Traver