Can Multimedia Be Platform Independent?

Welcome to the site!

Site updated 27th July, 2006

This site attempts to answer the question of whether multimedia (new media, digital media, whatever) can be independent of the platform or device it is being run on. The site is based on a university dissertation I wrote in late 1997 through to 1998. Although I have made minor updates ever since, the content should be treated as a time capsule of the state of play which existed in the mid to late 1990s.

The site has been optimised to run on most web browsers, without resorting to tables, frames or DHTML, otherwise it defeats the point of the site! Also ensure you have images turned on, in order to use the navigation bar at the top of each page. Images have been optimised to reduce download times, so there should be no need to leave images switched off.

If you have any questions about any aspect of this website and its content, feel free to contact me using the link at the foot of every page. The site will be gradually improved in content over the coming weeks, but for now, the basic content is ready for you to view at your pleasure.

Here's a rundown of the site's contents:

Updates: This page will list any updates made either by myself, or on the advice of e-mails posted to me by yourselves.
Figure List: A complete album of the images used in the report.
Introduction: The Pitfalls of Platforms: What this report is all about.
Chapter 1: The Acorn, Macintosh and PC computers: Discussing the three main computer choices; their strengths and weaknesses in handling multimedia independently.
Chapter 2: My personal experience: How I created a triple-format cover CD-ROM for a UK published monthly computer magazine.
Chapter 3: Analysis of the industry: The results of my online questionnaire mailed out to multimedia designers and professionals around the world. The form is online for you to fill in if you wish.
Chapter 4: Overcoming cross platform deficiencies: How companies and/or individuals are addressing cross platform compatability and why it is important.
Conclusion: Summary of the main points raised in the report, concluding with whether digital media can be platform independent.
Recommendations: My personal views on what should be addressed.
Recommended Reading: Printed/online publications worth considering, plus cross platform information websites of use to you.
Glossary of terms: A dictionary of my own personal descriptions of familiar computer related or multimedia related terms.
Appendix A: The questionnaire, and its responses: A copy of the questionnaire to peruse, plus edited versions of the responses received for the original printed edition.
Appendix B: Articles, Source material and correspondence: Sourced articles and materials. See also Recommended Reading.
Appendix C: Sources of Acorn User December 1997 issue: Images and Hyperstudio stacks from the magazine cover and CD-ROM from late 1997. See Chapter 2: My personal experience for more details.

These pages were originally built using text editors on the Acorn RISC OS platform, and have been tested on ArcWeb 1.91, Netscape Navigator 3.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.1. For post April 2006 changes, pages were updated using Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 and tested on Firefox 1.5 and Opera 8.5.