I'm starting a thread because this topic came up originally in a contest thread that is now over and needs to fall down the list. But in that thread I was informed the images I had posted included some personal info (name of my computer for sure as another image posted by someone else later showing the metadata clearly listing my computer name). It was suggested I switch from jpg format to png format as that might not have such metadata info.

So tonight, wanting to post an image, I took it, saved it to png format, and it wouldn't post because it was too big. Mmm, okay, so I pulled the screen up again and used the snipping tool again and saved it this time twice. The first time in PNG format, and immediately made no changes or anything else and just switched the file type to jpg.

The png file was HUGE. Nearly 4 times as large as the jpg one (I'm guessing that's why I always used jpg and I just forgot that). I have a screenshot here showing the difference in file size. Gog's limit is 500k, which is why it wouldn't post the first time.

So, I'm sure I can figure out how to get the png files down to a size gog will accept, BUT, one has to ask, are we sure that png images actually have less metadata than jpg images do? I mean, all those extra bits represent something, right?

EDIT: For reference I almost always use Snipping Tool. However, when I take in game images I use the Print Screen option and Paint 3D.

JPEG uses lossy compression. It stores an approximation of the original image based on wave forms. When saving, you can choose the quality, which determines the number of passes and thus the level of detail.

PNG is a lossless format, basically the good old array of pixels. It uses standard compression methods like ZIP to save disk space. But that doesn't come close to JPG as you noticed yourself.

Can't say anything about metadata in PNG. Wouldn't worry too much about it though.

Yeah, you're probably right. In fact, thinking on it, I've been posting images here since 2008, in jpg format, and I'm not aware of any malfeasance as a result (of course, just because I'm not aware of it, doesn't mean it hasn't occurred or could occur in the future)>

Thanks for the reply. From a simpleton's perspective, I guess what you're saying is png files are larger because they basically are of higher quality. I think I may just stick with jpg and hope the whole world knowing the name of my computer doesn't result in it being hacked. I might start disconnecting from the internet from now on when not actually using it just to be safe.

Thank you for your reply.

The "name" of a computer is a strictly local thing. You choose it during installation of the OS and you can change it any time you want. The name appears in error logs or sometimes in files and documents as a vague identifier of their origin.

In a local network, if two or more Computers are connected to the same network switch AT HOME, you can enable local file and printer sharing. In this case, Windows does allow other LOCAL computers to access selected folders using your computer's name as an address (for example by typing \\computername\ into the address bar of Windows explorer). That will list all open shares. You can try that with your own computer name just to check if you want. No harm in that, I promise.

Again, this access is restricted to the local network. Such requests cannot leave your network, nor can they come from "outside". In a global context, your computer name isn't unique and it is not possible to use it as a kind of web address. The internet (www) is built on numeric IP addresses and DNS requests instead. That is a completely different procedure with other protocols to connect to servers and web sites.

Again, don't worry about being hacked. It is not necessary to isolate yourself and disconnect everything. ;-)

Yet this is precisely how Eddie Olmos was able to withstand the Cylon invasion.

As mentioned in the other thread, Jpegoptim can optimize your jpegs, strip metadata, and you can even give it a size so it will try to reduce data until it fits, which i'd go 250k or so. Yeah imagemagick would do the job, cropping, specific number of colors, honestly 1000 colors it's hard to tell it's intentionally reduced. Or to 8bit with 256 colors. OptiPNG tries to compress in different methods and keeps the best one, but it's time intensive. A hundred passes doesn't take long, exhaustively (2000+ passes) can take a very long time.

I'm assuming a coincidence, but all of a sudden none of my credit cards are getting accepted when I just tried to order a pizza. I tried everyone of them. And none of them are even close to the "limit" or "maximum" or whatever the correct term is, I can't remember. I just ordered a pizza on Oct 5, 2023, no problems. Today, none of them got accepted.

I sure as hell hope it's a coincidence and not my info getting stolen. I know that Windows does store the numbers on this local machine only. (Yes, I agreed to that, because I am bed bound and sometimes can't get to where my wallet sits when my health aid isn't here.)

EDIT: I should add why I'm assuming it's a coincidence. It's because there is another possible explanation. I believe when you use a credit card, it checks the address to see if the address at the place you're buying from matches the address with the credit card company. The town I live in and grew up in had every single street named after a Confederate Civil War general. They recently (late 2022) sent notices that all of those names would be changed. In July, I got the notice of the new address, and changed my address everywhere I could think of (come to think of it I didn' here though, not even sure gog has my street address but I'll check after this post). With that notice of what my street changed to was also a deadline of October 10,2023 for all necessary changes and after that it couldn't be guaranteed that we would still get our mail, etc. So, it could be a problem with that. I'm hoping it's a problem with that.

EDIT2: Yeah, as I suspected, street address is not something listed here. It's just email address, which I guess is the virtual world's street address. lol

It is absolutely a co-occurrence.
If it (the street name change) is the origin of your problem, once your physical address is updated (with your card providers), all should be rectified (at least, within a period of days).

Still, I wonder why all of your cards might be affected. The reason might be as simple as a temporary issue with payment processors (or, with the eatery, itself).

Yeah, I already had updated it with all of my card providers as well as places I order from (as well as many other places...lol you don't realize how many places have your address until you go to change it). The pizza store I ordered from has had my "new" address (I put new in quotes because I'm still in the same house sitting on the same piece of land lol) for months now, and as I said, it shows my last order was Oct 5.

I'm thinking there is still some "internal" work going on between the involved players as that's why I had no trouble on Oct 5 but now, after the deadline listed, I do have trouble. I was at first tempted to see if it affected all of my cards at other places, but I didn't really want to order something (and have to pay for it) just to find out. I suspect as time goes on I'll see what affect, if any, lingers on.

Just thinking about it, since I've lived here I've had three "major" changes to my personal info without ever changing anything myself.

First (many years ago, I forget now) They changed my area code. (still same phone number otherwise)
Second (maybe 10 or so years ago) They changed my zip code. (same house on same land in same town)
Now they change my street address.

A listing like this:
Name
street address
town
state
zip code
phone number

has gotten completely changed despite being in the same house, on the same land, in the same town, in the same county, in the same state, and with the same 7 digit phone number, and it's still the same me...err scratch that, a much older version of me. lol

wrong thread

It also depends what program you create your jpeg with. MS Snipping Tool in my case didn't include computer information.