* Msg fwd – resmini at snafu dot com to alt.fan.books.obs

Guys, check this.
I was just leaked an anticipation on the upcoming OBS 2.0 (YES!).
Looks like Jack commented on this first person.
Must read.

From : Jack
To   : undisclosed recipients
Subj : [draft] On Blue Streets - FAQ

Hi all.

Following spreading rumours about a new release of the well received 1999 novel "On Blue Streets" due out soon, the author (me), would like to remove some inaccuracies and factual misrepresentations I happened to come across in various newsgroups. In other words, madames et messieurs, this is the official OBS 2.0 FAQ.

Jack O'Mallory
On Blue Streets 2.0
Frequently Asked Questions – [draft]

Foreword

On Blue Streets 2.0 is *not* a reworking of the original, nor it is a mere porting to new technologies or a simple souped-up version. No Matrix Re* crap. OBS 2.0 is genuinely new work: it has been completely redesigned and reimplemented from the ground up.

Please note that the author will not give up support for OBS release 1.0 (and minor 1.1 and 1.2) readers, but will probably be forced by market rules to dramatically slow down the whole business.
The author wants his faithful 1.x supporters to know they will eventually become a vanishing breed, cowboys of the sea . And yes, I'm that old and my collection of bootlegs is outrageously large. Sue me.

What OBS 2.0 is

On Blue Streets (v2.0) is an adrenaline-pumping sex-inducing mind-shrieking head-throbbing hard-boiled novella, starring young District Attorney Emmet J. Evans trying to uncover the mysteries around the suicide of the late oil tycoon George Pickfellar and the who and whys of his young cruel gorgeous widow's relationship with a retarded Minnesota miner.

<George, isn't this whole sentence a bit, I do not know how to put it, I mean, come on, even I can write better shit. Is that even supposed to be English? And anyway, wasn't my miner coming from Oklahoma? That's a crucial detail. Jack>

Why should I be interested

<G., can't think of anything. This has to be edited out. Or tell Sylvia to make up something. Wait. Edit this out. J.>

New features in OBS 2.0

-Open Character Linking Interface (OCLI)

Any reader will be granted the possibility to embed his/her own favourite character, from any media which imports/exports in standard bXML (book XML) 1.3 format. Pull Rick out of his café and straight into the arms of cruel Virginia Toothbrush, star of OBS 1.0 (yes, characters may be moved from 1.0). Or try father William from Eco's "The Name of the Rose" as the hard boiled sleuth who investigates the murder. Use your imagination, write your own book.

<G., isn't this too far fetched? Why should they be bothered to buy if they also have to write themselves the damn book? Please rephrase. J.>

-Noun/verb architecture instead of verb/noun

All characters dialogues and interaction is selection-based: you will now be able to browse through the highlighted persona's possible actions and responses. Much better than having to read through the entire book to find out that the killer was the best man.

-Improved toolbar

Improved draggable toolbar at top of the sheet provides more control on page turning and dropping of page anchors.

-Iconizable secundary characters

<G., what the heck is this supposed to mean? Edit this out. J.>

-Inverse Kinematics (the _new cool thing_ on the scene)

IK is largely used for all organic animations. See how stiff the Attorney walks and acts, see how sexy Diana moves!

<G., wasn't IK the new cool thing on the scene ten years ago? What about XMLRPC? Or webservices? Or this Facebook crap? Social features? I mean, can't we propose something more hip? Sometimes I worry about you guys. Wait. I know. It's that tech consultant of yours, the one who loves Barry Manilow. Fire him. And you owe me a favor. J.>

-Enhanced finger input

Retrieve vital informations about your favorite character with a single finger pressure.

-Completely new interface

More options and a customizable size/readability ratio to squeeze the book when you are travelling.

-Dynamic font manipulation

Up to one hundred fonts may be used to personalize the look and feel of the novella. Add your own TrueType signature (Registered users only).

-On-the-fly viewport resizing and moving

Shift page 1 so you can see what's on page 2, or simply drag page 50 back to check for consistency in the plot.

<G., Are you joking? Consistency? In the plot? In my novella? Try that with Dan Brown, please. Edit this out. J.>

-Whole lot of customizable styles and colours

Change it to 3D, or get that nifty '50s look you love.

-New backgrounds (shot on location)

Check yourself if Lou's apartment is worth his bank account (New interACT (tm) library, see below, lets you drop an anonymous note to the IRS if it is not).

-interACT

<G., are we sure we want this thing in? My name's on the page, what if a bug lets them check my bank account? Edit this out. Now. J.>

Your truly, Jack O'Mallory, OBS author

--

jack at fngr dot net

Note:<G, shouldn't we mention that the story is new? You know, like in "new story"? What do I pay you guys for? Have a nice week-end. J.>