REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION (RFD)
unmoderated group comp.lang.java.3d
This is a formal Request For Discussion (RFD) for the creation of the
comp.lang.java.3d newsgroup. This is not a Call for Votes (CFV);
you cannot vote at this time. Procedural details are below.
CHANGES from previous RFD:
The name has been change from comp.lang.java.java3d to comp.lang.java.3d.
This allows the scope of the group to be increased to include all
current and future 3D API's for Java (as noted in the rational).
Update all statistics to be as of May 19, 1999.
Newsgroups line:
comp.lang.java.3d Discussion of 3D Graphics API's for the Java environment.
RATIONALE: comp.lang.java.3d
The Java programming environment is growing to encompass more and
more areas of computing. The current comp.lang.java hierarchy
consists of the following groups:
announce
beans
databases
gui (AWT, Swing)
programmer (Generic Java coding questions)
security
softwaretools
3D graphics is an important area of computing and there is much interest
in 3D solutions for Java. Much like there exists comp.lang.java.gui
to discuss user interface API's (be it AWT, Swing or some future API),
comp.lang.java.3d will be forum where various 3D API's (current and
future) can be discussed.
The comp.lang.java.3d group would fill out the current hierarchy
by creating a forum to discuss current and future 3D api's. Currently
these discussions are mainly going on in mailing lists with occasional
questions appearing in comp.lang.java.programmer. Having a single forum
would bring together these separate groups and make it easier for
new people to obtain information on 3D solutions for Java.
Due to its already high volume and the more generic nature of
the discussions, comp.lang.java.programmer is inappropriate for
discussions concerning 3D API's. Further, discussion regarding the
the pros and cons of particular 3D API for Java are inappropriate for
the comp.lang.java.programmer newsgroup.
In order to bring about a place where experts and novices can more
easily find answers to 3D programming problems in Java, discuss
the pros and cons of current 3D API's for Java and to get help on
using these 3D API's, a 3d newsgroup is proposed: comp.lang.java.3d.
There is a lot of interest in 3D for Java. A recent search at
<www.altavista.com> for the phrase "java 3d" turned up 7084 web
pages, while the phrase "java3d" was found in 57350 pages. A dejanews
search covering March 1, 1998 through March 31, 1999 on "java 3d" and
"java3d" found 63000 and 4200 entries, respectively.
Some of the topics that will be discussed in the newsgroup are:
The Java 3D API - a sun standard extension
The Java 3D API has generated much interest since its initial
early access release in March 1998. The Java 3D implementation was
first released to the public in December of 1998 for the Sparc/Solaris
and Win32 platforms. Since that time, the Java 3D download site
<http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/index.html> has recorded
over 32,000 downloads.
The [EMAIL PROTECTED] as well as the [EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailing lists contain roughly 2700 members. The java3d-interest
mail archive found at:
<http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/mail-archive/3D/index.html>
lists 2693 mail messages for the period starting October 1, 1998
through May 19, 1999. As the Java 3D API becomes available on more
platforms these numbers are sure to grow. For instance, Sun
Microsystems recently licensed the Java 3D API to Linux and an
initial port of Java 3D was shown at the recent LinuxWorld. The
public release of Java 3D for Linux should be available soon,
generating even more volume for the existing mail alias. Details on
this implementation can be viewed at:
<http://www.blackdown.org/java-linux/jdk1.2-status/java-3d-status.html>
There are also unofficial implementations of the Java 3D API, such as
jFree-D <http://spia.freenix.fr/~jct/>.
OpenGL on Java 3D
OpenGL is popular 3D graphics API for PC's and workstations. Recently,
OpenGL ports to Java have been appearing, such as JavaGL
<http://www.cmlab.csie.ntu.edu.tw/~robin/JavaGL/> and OpenGL4Java
<http://www.oasis.leo.org/java/classes/graphics/OpenGL4java.dsc.html>.
Other 3D API's written for Java
On the "3D Engines List" site
<http://cg.cs.tu-berlin.de/~ki/3de_hard_java.html> is a list of 21 3D
engines written for Java.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.3d
The comp.lang.java.3d newsgroup is for those wishing to discuss
3D API's for Java. Topics may include, but are not limited to:
Pros and cons of various 3D API's for Java
Programming help with specific 3D API's
Performance Issues
3D File Loaders
Integrating 3D into existing applications
While small bug or example programs will be allowed, the posting
of binaries is prohibited.
Announcements of new products or services related to 3D API's for
Java will be allowed.
comp.lang.java.3d will not be moderated.
END CHARTER.
PROCEDURE:
This is a request for discussion, not a call for votes. In this
phase of the process, any potential problems with the proposed
newsgroups should be raised and resolved. The discussion period
will continue for a minimum of 21 days (starting from when the
first RFD for this proposal is posted to news.announce.newgroups),
after which a Call For Votes (CFV) will be posted by a neutral vote
taker. Please do not attempt to vote until this happens.
All discussion of this proposal should be posted to news.groups.
This RFD attempts to comply fully with the Usenet newsgroup creation
guidelines outlined in "How to Create a New Usenet Newsgroup" and
"How to Format and Submit a New Group Proposal". Please refer to
these documents (available in news.announce.newgroups) if you have
any questions about the process.
DISTRIBUTION:
This RFD has been posted to the following newsgroups:
news.announce.newsgroups, news.groups,
comp.graphics.animation, comp.graphics.api.misc,
comp.graphics.visualization, comp.lang.java.announce,
comp.lang.java.programmer
and the following mailing list:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (general discussions concerning the
Java 3D API)
Subscribe via: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Discussions on the interoperability of
Java 3D & VRML)
Subscribe via: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Proponent: Dan Petersen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
=====================================================================
To subscribe/unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Java 3D Home Page: http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/
