OSNews

I liked those drawings Absolutely brilliant ^^

Why does OSNews need a comic strip? I just read the comments to get a good laugh from time to time.

I like the comic strip idea. Looking forward
to reading future releases ...

I had a good laugh with XP on the OLPC

as said above, putting a little more contrast in the images and improve your writing a little bit might make this a good idea

Would be nice if the OSNews readers could post their own comics in the forum, with an online painting tool embedded in the "Post a new comment" section. This of course should only be enabled for the "Comic" threads.
Some links:
http://canvaspaint.org/
http://www.flashpaint.com/
http://www.sketchr.net/draw/

Another IT comic link:

http://www.bugbash.net/

I think this is a good idea. Basically, all of us need to step back once in a while and laugh at ourselves, and our pet OSes. There would be a lot less flaming.

In fact, to cut down on the number of endless arguments I went ahead and settled them for everyone:

1. Gnome is better than KDE.
2. The BSD license IS freer than the GPL.
3. Windows and Microsoft are evil.
4. Macs are way cooler than anything else.
5. People who run Linux are much smarter than other computer users.

Your welcome!

http://xkcd.com/303/ for example.

Comics are a good idea -- a good way to cut loose. A few name suggestions:

* "Shabang" ( an allusion to #!)
* "Platform Reform"
* "Operating Systems Anonymous"
* "Welcome to the O.S."
* "The Wizard of OS"

G'luck!
-dotMatt

well, some of them were decent, but Mastercard commercial jokes are the less refuge of the humorless, don't you know...:)

Go for it Thom, I think it's a good idea, I love webcomics

Now, the idea of letting the readers write their own comic strips as comments is also great, albeit difficult to moderate (and we know th3 intarnetz is full of dumb people).

Anyway, I think it's a cool idea

You had me with you right up to #5. That one should have said BSD. :-)

I loved the putting XP on OLPC one... The others are nice enough, imho you should continue.

I think the comic is a great idea! Here are a few more suggestions:

"OSNewt"
"!swenSO¡"
"A patch in time..."
"The OS at the End of the Galaxy"
"The Lighter Side of OSNews" (just to be practical)
"Fudgecicles of Doom" (just to be random)

And I second Benjamin's recommendation of http://xkcd.com/ for one of the greats in the field of tech comics!

but much, much worse.

Don't give up your day job, but respect for trying.

idle hands (make for devils work)
Comics SP2 (windows ref)
OSsketch (as opposed to os news)
OSscribble (follow on from last name)

I think in a world that can be dark and dismal sometimes given the news reports we all watch, a little light hearted humour is always good.

After all, this is just computer stuff, a little light heartedness might serve to make us less anal and contrite. We all have opinions (no right no wrong) but having hissy fits over which OS is the best or which vendor pissed in your corn flakes over a bad service pack or whatever else; taken over all the current world mayhem seems just so silly.

If we all take our "two cents" and put it towards vanquishing the current world mayhem, I think we would be all that much better for it. Banging at APPLE, Microsoft, OpenBSD, Richard Stallman sure is not going to make the killing stop and is pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

In a world where everyone seemingly is an IT expert, maybe using that IT expertise to solve some real issues that plague us all as a civilization might be of more assistance. It is all relative.

I like reading OSNEWS (any IT related or non-IT related news) as it is a constant education and a way to keep current. Understanding that everyone is entitled to their opinion does not mean I necessary want or wish to read it or be exposed to it. Personally I like to make my own decisions (and mistakes) without anyone else' assistance.

We do take ourselves too seriously sometimes and laughter is always "good medicine".

I say Keep the funnies flowing; that is if you care to read my opinion.

Peace to all

Why not just call it ...

OSNEWS Funnies
OSNEWS Funny Paper

They sure made me laugh!

As a way to summarize and poke fun at past stories and people's reactions, I think the comics are a great idea.

My favorite computer/software/programming sites are sites that provide me with information AND can make me laugh. A little humor goes a long way :-)

I'd call it "Crude".
That would allude to the style of drawing, as well as the kind of humour - at least if you take a fanboy's point of view.
It could also mean crude oil in a sense of "some unrefined stuff that can be used to lower friction (within the community)".
The title should probably be written by hand or at least in a font that comes sufficiently close to the look of handwriting.

By far the best joke, imo, was the one about acid :-D

Edited 2007-12-28 18:39 UTC

How about posting less flame-bait from some blog somewhere just so the local cheerleaders can rehash the same tired old argument again ?

If you ask me, these somics belong on your blog. I would be happy to read them there. It's not what I'm looking for on OSNews. IMHO and all that.

OSmuse? A half-witty contradiction perhaps...

OSmews? The cat's...

OStentatious?

OSCOM/IX?


:>)

I like em , would also be cool to make some comics based on the user coments, like making characters from the forum appear at work chitchatting these topics from time to time. could grant some laughs indeed

Do I like the jokes? well, depends... on the jokes :-)
I liked the Acid one.

The hand drawings have a kind of rough anti-technology vibe that suits the subject matter, making fun of tech. It also gives you the freedom to do them where ever as a pen and pad are highly portable and always useful.

I would suggest scanning them into some sort of vector based program like Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator. It will keep the same feel, but will make it easier to manipulate them.

My one suggestion would be to ink them with a wider pen such as a Sharpie. (I'm not sure if you have Sharpies in Europe, but this http://www.accessoriesallareas.com/images/Sharpie%20Marker%... is what I'm talking about.) The vector drawing programs would help with this as it is easy to turn up the thickness of a line.

As for names:
Software Error
Core Dump
IDtenT Errors
IO Error (Idiot Operator Error)

I found them pretty amusing, especially the first one.

There's always room for more laughs.

Name Idea: OSRubes

However I think it's a good idea. Don't set goals though. If you're not inspired, don't force yourself. If, one week, you have several ideas in mind, go ahead. Also, I can imagine you could accept user submissions. Some people might have witty drawings, I guess some OSN readers are pretty creative. That would be nice. My take: Add a thumbnail in the left column for the latest drawing(s).

Nice, I liked it, but make it a little bit darker, that's easy with any Image Software. Even touching the levels will help.

Keep up the good work!

Name? I Don't have a Name.
Something with a double meaning: OZ-one

No I don't like those at all!

The comics are trolling pure and simple. I know lots of people are going to say "It's just a joke! Lighten up!", but that is exactly the problem. It is common for people to use the "Joke" format in an argument as a way of making an trolling statement without having to back up their position. When they are called on it, the chime out "It was a joke. Lighten up." If you put those comics on your site, you are making a public announcment that you run a biased site with no credible information.

Of course, that is your right, but you should be aware of the choice you are making.

As another poster commented, the jokes would be better suited for a non-news site.

If you do choose to put them on this site, I would suggest "The Flaming Troll" as the title. Then make it clear that the comments section is expected to be one huge flamefest, as that is what it will be whether you want it to or not, so instead of fighting the inevitable, you might as well embrace it.

Edited 2007-12-28 20:48

Thom, I really appreciate your efforts and everything but I think the comic thing is something that you should try a bit on your blog first. I'm sure the idea will evolve. Now it's still awfully geeky and a bit embarrassing.

The joke about the acid test is pretty funny, though.

I like the comments.

you could call them

OSNews Comedic Commentary U'll Love To. or OCCULT.

i know its pretty crappy, but all I could come up with.

I like the idea of geek comics. Sadly, even though you say you can't draw you still draw better than me

Name suggestions:
geekomic, grawkmic, komic
OSLampoon, geekbreak, ^C, ESC.

And if I think of more I'll post them.

i thought the podcast idea was way better

I think this is a good idea, completely apart from whether anyone thinks it's good or not. It's a chance for you to release some steam and exercise some creativity and to do it in a format that implies and expects that you aren't %100 serious, allowing you perhaps more room to say things. Go for it.

I laughed at the Windows on OLPC comic. I like how the factory from the Stallman/OpenBSD comic looks just like the little plastic factory pieces from the board game Axis and Allies (shot of it here: http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=industrialbt0.jpg ).