Every file has a MIME type.
MIME.ac is a toy for browsing, making and flipping through them all, one work per screen, as if file types were TV channels.
Open MIME.ac
Free, in your browser. No account needed to flip.
What is a MIME type?
A MIME type is a short label that tells a computer what kind of file it is looking at.
It has two parts, a type and a subtype, joined by a slash:
image/png is a PNG picture,
text/html is a web page,
video/mp4 is a video.
Every time a browser fetches a file, the server sends this label along in a header called
Content-Type. The browser reads it and decides whether to draw a picture, play a
video, run a program or show you plain words. The label is about what's inside, so it still
works when the file has no name at all.
The name is a leftover from email. MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, a 1992 standard that let email carry attachments. The web borrowed its labels, and the official list of them is kept by IANA under the plainer name media types. Both names are in use; MIME.ac uses the one everyone says.
Common MIME types
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
text/html | a web page |
text/plain | plain words |
text/css | a stylesheet |
text/javascript | a JavaScript program |
application/json | structured data |
image/png | a PNG picture, with transparency |
image/jpeg | a JPEG photo |
image/gif | a GIF, often animated |
image/svg+xml | a vector drawing |
audio/mpeg | an MP3 |
video/mp4 | an MP4 video |
application/pdf | a PDF document |
application/zip | a zip archive |
font/woff2 | a web font |
application/octet-stream | bytes of an unknown kind |
The x- in names like application/x-doom-wad comes from an older naming convention; it does not by itself establish registration status.
The channels on MIME.ac
On MIME.ac each type is a channel. The home feed surfs across all of them; open one type and you're watching that channel. These are on the air now:
- image/pngpaintings, made pixel by pixel in Aesthetic Computer and No Paint
- text/x-lispKidLisp programs, tiny Lisp pieces that draw and animate live on the card
- text/javascriptpieces: interactive programs from Aesthetic Computer and Whistlegraph, running live
- video/mp4tapes, recorded from pieces
- application/x-nes-romNES ROMs with touch, keyboard and gamepad controls
- application/x-doom-wadDoom levels you can play right on the card
- application/x-oskiewar-demosaved rounds of oskiewar, replayed
- text/plainwords: moods and chat
How to flip
One work fills the screen. Swipe up for the next one, down for the last one, or use the
↑ ↓ keys. Every card is labeled in its corners:
- top left the work's code
- top right a small MIME wordmark
- bottom left who made it
- bottom right its MIME type
The code is an address. #uf4 is a painting, $ starts a KidLisp program,
! starts a tape. Type one at aesthetic.computer
and the work opens there, where you can make your own. Tap the code on MIME.ac to share the card; every
work has a permanent link like mime.ac/nes~qst.
Making
Browsing is the front; making is the back. Paintings, tapes and KidLisp programs are made in
Aesthetic Computer and show up on MIME.ac when they're public. In the MIME app for iPhone, which is
in early access, tapping a card's type starts a new work of that type, and tapping a version number
like v0 remixes a piece, a painting or a Doom WAD into your own.
Questions
What is a MIME type?
A short two-part label, type/subtype, that says what kind of data a file holds: image/png is a PNG picture, text/html is a web page, video/mp4 is an MP4 video. Web servers send it in the Content-Type header and browsers use it to decide how to show the file. The official name today is media type; MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, the 1992 email standard where the labels were invented.
Is a MIME type the same as a file extension?
No. An extension like .png is part of a file's name and anyone can rename it. The MIME type describes the contents and travels with the file when it is sent over the web. They usually agree, which is why MIME.ac guesses the type from the extension when a browser hands over a file with no type.
What does the x- in application/x-doom-wad mean?
The x- prefix is a legacy convention for experimental or private formats. It does not reliably indicate registration status. MIME.ac retains existing names for compatibility; new names should avoid this convention, as described in RFC 6648.
Is MIME.ac free?
Yes. Open mime.ac and start flipping. No account is needed to browse. Signing in with an Aesthetic Computer handle lets you comment on a work and save it.
Where do the files come from?
From public work made across Aesthetic Computer, KidLisp and Whistlegraph, plus the preserved No Paint painting archive and saved oskiewar rounds. Only work that is public shows up, and every card names the person who made it.
Can I make something?
Yes. Every card shows a short code; type it at aesthetic.computer to open the work and make your own paintings, tapes and KidLisp programs there. In the MIME app for iPhone, which is in early access, tapping a card's type starts a new work of that type, and tapping a version number remixes a piece, a painting or a Doom WAD.
Why is it like television?
Each MIME type is a channel. The home feed surfs across all of them, one work per screen, and you flip with a swipe or the arrow keys. Open a single type, like image/png, and you are watching one channel.