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The Curious Comeback of the Dreaded QR Code

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11–20 of 64 posts

Re: The Curious Comeback of the Dreaded QR Code

#11

Surprised they didn't mention cryptocurrencies at all here. Scanning QR codes to enter an address when making a transaction is pretty much the only feasible option I know of. Manually entering a very long random string is too much of a hassle, especially if you'd want to do real-world transactions.

"Scanning QR codes to enter an address when making a transaction is pretty much the only feasible option I know of. Manually entering a very long random string is too much of a hassle, especially if you'd want to do real-world transactions."

You can use an Oh By Code.[1]

From the "HN FAQ":[2]

"You don't need any software or tools to create them. You don't need a reader or an app to read them. You can write them down anywhere with any pencil, pen, chalk, etc. As of the launch of 0x.co, there is no longer any reason to ever use a QR code again. You're welcome."

[1] https://0x.co

[2] There is a FAQ but also a "HN FAQ" with more technical, implementation-minded Q&A: https://0x.co/hnfaq.html

Re: The Curious Comeback of the Dreaded QR Code

#13
post #5
post #2

Can someone explain to me what the advantages of QR codes are over bar codes or other similar methods?

I'm assuming the largest advantage is just the amount of data they can hold. One of the top google results[1] indicates that 1d bar codes can hold ~100 characters, while 2d ones can hold ~2000 characters. There is also a bit of artistic freedom you can do with the 2d ones. They really aren't as ugly as the 1d ones. Especially if you use them to "frame" something. Note, still not pretty, per se. Just not as ugly. [1]…

I always thought bar codes and QR codes both looked kind of pretty, in a glitch-art way.

Re: The Curious Comeback of the Dreaded QR Code

#14
post #2

Can someone explain to me what the advantages of QR codes are over bar codes or other similar methods?

It can store various data formats, eg. vcard. You scan it and save every phone number, email, etc immediately. Or WiFi credetials, including both the network and the password: scan, tick, connected.

Re: The Curious Comeback of the Dreaded QR Code

#16
post #9

Maybe i am completely out of the WXSW loop but when did QR become a joke? To me it always seemed like a nice and simple piece of tech.

Like, forever: http://picturesofpeoplescanningqrcodes.tumblr.com/

They just never caught on in the west - but for a while at least they were popular in Japan (maybe they still are).

For me if I see a QR code and there's also a printed url then I'll just google it faster than finding my qr app. If it was more complex data than that it might be useful but I'm looking in my QR code history and I don't see them being used for anything but simple links.

Re: The Curious Comeback of the Dreaded QR Code

#19
post #11

Surprised they didn't mention cryptocurrencies at all here. Scanning QR codes to enter an address when making a transaction is pretty much the only feasible option I know of. Manually entering a very long random string is too much of a hassle, especially if you'd want to do real-world transactions.

"Scanning QR codes to enter an address when making a transaction is pretty much the only feasible option I know of. Manually entering a very long random string is too much of a hassle, especially if you'd want to do real-world transactions." You can use an Oh By Code.[1] From the "HN FAQ":[2] "You don't need any software or tools to create them. You don't need a reader or an app to read them. You can write them down…

That’s basically an URL shortener without the URL part. A centralized service to store all your codes and the logs of all accesses. In short, a twitter for pastebin. No thanks.

Re: The Curious Comeback of the Dreaded QR Code

#20
post #5
post #2

Can someone explain to me what the advantages of QR codes are over bar codes or other similar methods?

I'm assuming the largest advantage is just the amount of data they can hold. One of the top google results[1] indicates that 1d bar codes can hold ~100 characters, while 2d ones can hold ~2000 characters. There is also a bit of artistic freedom you can do with the 2d ones. They really aren't as ugly as the 1d ones. Especially if you use them to "frame" something. Note, still not pretty, per se. Just not as ugly. [1]…

Animated GIF qr code https://github.com/sylnsfar/qrcode
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