Hallo.
If you don't recall, and you're currently asking "who in the five flying fiddly fucks are you, sending me an email?" then hi! I'm issie (usually known as Wistpotion online). I make software, some games, some tools, some music.
And you did at some point in time sign up through one of my games.
So, now that you aren't attempting digital murder on me, let's move on.
The Sturdy Webcomic Downloader
I recently got a subscription of slipshine (an 18+ genuinly good quality webcomic publisher, don't look it up unless you're mature enough). I think you know where this is going.
I prefer reading on paper, but since I can't have everything, I settle on my e-reader for most things. So of course, as soon as I got access to the goods, I spent three days writing a program so I could read it on my e-reader.
The program is really simple. What you do is give it a starting adress, a css selector for the image on the page and a selector for the button you have to click to go to the next page. It gives you a pdf (or a folder of images if you ask politely).
I spent a ton of time writing documentation, so even if you have NO (zero, nada) experience with making websites, you will still be able to use the tool. Read manual, become fluent in webcomics downloading.
That's about it for the tool. You can download it on github (it's also on itch if you prefer that):
https://github.com/wistpotion/sturdy-webcomic-downloader
Now, that was all the actually important stuff. If you want to indulge me (and yourself), read on. If you have something better to do, you should probably go do that.
Part 1: watching Shrek on a smart fridge
I like files. I don't like streaming. Do you see now how me and netflix, disney+, spotify, youtube and so on have trouble being friends? I'm 20 and I sound like I'm 65 already. Success?
The problem I see is that when you buy a movie today, you don't get to watch that movie in whatever way you like. You get a license to play that movie in a specific software. Steam works the same way, you get a license to play the game, but you need to have steam installed, be logged in and connected to the internet. It's a significant pain in the ass for anyone who wants to consume media in a way different from the way the company delivering it intends.
I believe you should not have to rely on a company staying in business to be able to access something you have bought. You should be in control of the things you have bought. You should be able to consume content in the way that suits you.
Sturdywcdl enables you to do this with webcomics. Yt-dlp enables you to do this with videos. Torrents with movies. Bandcamp with music.
If I want to watch shrek on my smart fridge, I should be able to.
Part 2: on sharing media
A bonus that comes with downloading the media that you intend to consume is that you over time build up both an archive of what you have consumed. That allows you to really dig through and find a good answer when someone asks "i'm bored can you recommend me a movie?". Then you can lend them that movie, either on a disk or by otherwise transferring the file. Like you'd be able to with a physical movie.
I've started asking my friends for recommendations, that I then put in my library to appreciate when I have time. (I do not merely hoard, I actually consume the things. Eventually). It's a nice way to get to know your friends just a bit better.
So, you don't happen to have a recommendation for a book, or song, or hell, a youtube video that you enjoy? [email protected]. I'll send something in return! What's that? I still sound like I'm a grandma? Oh go fu-
That's all, have fun with the program!
Ps. the 24 hours after finishing the program were very busy for me. oh by the devils how did I end up with 40GB pleasesendhelp.
You can have future letters delivered right into your electronic mailbox: