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I can recognize those features. Sure, you need to look for them, but why would anyone care to? Surely after encountering only a few RGB codes the average person

I can recognize those features. Sure, you need to look for them, but why would anyone care to? Surely after encountering only a few RGB codes the average person will have no trouble inferring that a jumble of colored blocks against a white background is likely to be encoded data. Same "training process" as needed for QR codes - although in this case the quiet zone is not needed, so you _could_ use these in a deliberately obscure fashion if you wanted, which isn't a shortcoming.

derefr 8y ago
Yes, you're able to realize that any given RGB mess-of-pixels printed somewhere is "likely to be encoded data", but maybe, you'll think, there might be multiple standards for RGB-encoded data (there are) and so, what standard does this code obey? Is it one your phone can parse? QR codes are able to be recognized as QR codes, which means you're able to think "I could definitely scan that", rather than thinking "that is some data there, that I could maybe read or maybe not." It's the same as the difference between saying that data on the wire is "a TCP packet" vs saying it's "HTTP." Yes, either way, you know that you've got some packets—but if you want to parse them, you'd better be able to recognize the format of those packets.
- neetdeth 8y ago
  We're thankfully not cursed with a multitude of competing standards for bilevel monochrome 2D codes (they do exist, but 90+ percent of everything out in the wild is QR). I don't think an end user is going to be competent to understand the differences between them in any case. The standard operating procedure will continue to be "point the scanner at it and hope for the best." If multiple competing standards do become popular, the most likely result is that scanners support all of them and we just eat the software bloat.
- pygy_ 8y ago
  There are also multiple standards for black and white 2d bar codes. This is backed by the Fraunhofer Society and the German government, and on tracks to become an ISO standard. It will be implemented in scanners (hardware and software).
  - jschwartzi 8y ago
    Yes, and most people are not aware that there are multiple barcode standards, even with 1D barcodes. Ask anyone what the difference is between Interleaved 2of5, Code 39, Code128, UPC/EAN, PostNet, etc. and they'll be hard-pressed to identify any of the distinguishing characteristics that are immediately obvious to the trained eye.

derefr 8y ago

Yes, you're able to realize that any given RGB mess-of-pixels printed somewhere is "likely to be encoded data", but maybe, you'll think, there might be multiple standards for RGB-encoded data (there are) and so, what standard does this code obey? Is it one your phone can parse? QR codes are able to be recognized as QR codes, which means you're able to think "I could definitely scan that", rather than thinking "that is some data there, that I could maybe read or maybe not." It's the same as the difference between saying that data on the wire is "a TCP packet" vs saying it's "HTTP." Yes, either way, you know that you've got some packets—but if you want to parse them, you'd better be able to recognize the format of those packets.

neetdeth 8y ago
We're thankfully not cursed with a multitude of competing standards for bilevel monochrome 2D codes (they do exist, but 90+ percent of everything out in the wild is QR). I don't think an end user is going to be competent to understand the differences between them in any case. The standard operating procedure will continue to be "point the scanner at it and hope for the best." If multiple competing standards do become popular, the most likely result is that scanners support all of them and we just eat the software bloat.
pygy_ 8y ago
There are also multiple standards for black and white 2d bar codes. This is backed by the Fraunhofer Society and the German government, and on tracks to become an ISO standard. It will be implemented in scanners (hardware and software).
- jschwartzi 8y ago
  Yes, and most people are not aware that there are multiple barcode standards, even with 1D barcodes. Ask anyone what the difference is between Interleaved 2of5, Code 39, Code128, UPC/EAN, PostNet, etc. and they'll be hard-pressed to identify any of the distinguishing characteristics that are immediately obvious to the trained eye.