This looks like another case of "Fire And Motion" by Microsoft: they keep changing things, and the rest of the world (that's us) are expected to scramble to adopt Microsoft's latest and greatest API's. This is probably not done as part of some evil master plan; it's in Microsoft's nature to release new API's and technologies every so often. This behavior was best described by Joel Spolsky, here: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000339.html. Quote:
"The companies who stumble are the ones who spend too much time reading tea leaves to figure out the future direction of Microsoft. People get worried about .NET and decide to rewrite their whole architecture for .NET because they think they have to. Microsoft is shooting at you, and it's just cover fire so that they can move forward and you can't, because this is how the game is played, Bubby. Are you going to support Hailstorm? SOAP? RDF? Are you supporting it because your customers need it, or because someone is firing at you and you feel like you have to respond?" These new releases aren't a good enough reason to change realXtend's roadmap, or to worry about the project's future. I'm much more excited about the re-merging of the codebase with OpenSim than about this or that graphics API. -- Oren On Dec 14, 4:31 pm, Peter Quirk <[email protected]> wrote: > Check out the machinima from Microsoft about their Generation 4 data > centers. It seems to have been made on the ESP platform > (http://www.microsoft.com/esp). > Does anyone know if the Caligari tools were used in this video > (http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/12/02/video-microsofts-gene... > -- Peter > > On Dec 13, 11:40 pm, Mark Malewski <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I completely agree with Antti. > > > We may need different tailored clients (browsers/viewers). For the > > extremely high end gaming, and then a basic standard browser for > > normal everyday interactions (social network). Also collaboration > > with existing technologies (VoIP/Skype, e-mail, SMS, whiteboard, Video > > playback and Video streaming, etc.) will increase the value of 3D > > Internet technologies. > > > Just as Dan Miller stated: > > > "Just like the web, it is imperative not to assume that one set of > > client capabilities fits all use cases. While a big honking PC > > running the latest NVidia drivers and the latest Windows may work > > nicely, you should also be able to log on and interact over an iPhone, > > or even a less capable device. Meaning, a stock Ubuntu install on an > > old machine should work as well, with visualization somewhere between > > the honking gamer's box and the mobile phone with the 3" screen." > > > I completely agree. Keep the system open and cross-platform. It > > should run on Unix/Linux, Windows, OS X, 3G iPhone, G-1 (Android) and > > possibly even the Blackberry Storm. > > > We don't want to "cripple" ourselves by migrating towards any one > > platform (such as a Microsoft based system). Try to keep it as "cross > > platform" as possible. > > > TrueSpace has been around since the beginning of time (I remember > > using TrueSpace back in 1994). I'd been using various Caligari > > software since 1986, and it's hard to believe that Microsoft gobbled > > them up. > > > I guess that's good for Microsoft, but bad for the rest of us. ;-) > > > Just as Microsoft killed off Netscape, I'm sure they'll just use this > > technology as a way to push their Virtual Earth service, and begin > > shoving their standards down other people's throats. > > > I personally wouldn't take the bait, and I believe in staying the > > course. Continue developing open source standards, and just stay away > > from any proprietary technologies that Microsoft will attempt to shove > > down our throats. > > > I don't think one browser will be a "fit for all" solution. We will > > have to develop open-source browsers for a wide variety of hardware > > platforms and various operating systems (to include Linux, and OS X) > > as well as mobile phone devices (like iPhone, Android/G-1, and > > possibly even Blackberry Storm). > > > I'm not sure that Microsoft made an "excellent acquisition" by > > purchasing Caligari, but it's something that Microsoft needed to try > > and "keep up" with Google. I still think Microsoft is way behind in > > the game, and I seriously doubt even the purchase of Caligari will > > help them keep up. > > > I really think true open source development and open source software > > will continue to kick the pants off of Microsoft. They are an "aging > > dinosaur" and it's only a matter of time before the Open Source > > community does them in. Look at how "rock solid" many open source > > platforms have become (think LAMP). You look at Linux/Apache/MySQL/ > > PhP/Python systems, and these are developer workhorses. Very thin, > > light machines, that don't hog up all your resources like the > > Microsoft machines. > > > Keep the code thin, light, and clean. It's sad to see Caligari get > > swallowed up by Microsoft, but it just shows how desparate Microsoft > > is getting. They know they're falling behind in the game. I still > > seriously doubt even with the Caligari acquisition that it will help > > Microsoft catch up to Google Earth/Google Maps. The one thing that > > Google is very good at is working with the Open Source community. I > > can't say the same for Microsoft (and their crazy SDK's & licensing > > agreements). Case in point, has anyone tried developing for the XBOX > > 360 without paying CRAZY licensing fees, and getting kicked in the > > pants by Microsoft? > > > "This weekend there were two pieces of news which may have a profound > > impact on virtual worlds and which may force designers to choose > > between Windows and non-Windows platforms." > > > Nope, nothing "profound" by the acquisition. Sure, it's good for > > Microsoft, and bad for the rest of the world, but it really won't have > > that much affect on the open source community. Microsoft will attempt > > to shove some standards down people's throats (just like their > > "Silverlight" technology). But until it's a "cross platform" and open > > source technology (that isn't controlled by Microsoft) then the > > technology will just die. > > > Look at what a terrible browser Internet Explorer is. It doesn't even > > follow or abide by basic standards. You need to use something like > > Mozilla, or Opera, just so you have a decent "cross platform" web > > browser that works correctly (and works across multiple platforms and > > displays pages correctly). Microsoft is non-compliant, and they "do > > not play well" with others. > > > I personally won't "drink the cool aid" and go chase any Microsoft > > technologies when I see better techologies floating around in the Open > > Source arena. I'm sure that many in the science/academic/research > > community will agree. > > > We do need to stay Open-sourced, cross-platform, and have custom > > tailored browsers (for various platforms, devices, and also specific > > applications such as high-end gaming, or social networking, or even > > teaching). > > > Kirstenlee did a great job with the R15, and hopefully she'll continue > > to contribute and help the open-source community with her great work! > > > > In any case, tailored viewers for different scenarios would be great. > > > For example simple web-based viewers, mobile phones, lightweight 3d > > > and why not console based as well, maybe simply a way to use the text > > > chat through IRC or something, all these things would expand the > > > functionality and usefulness of our application. > > > I completely agree! > > > Mark > > > On Aug 1, 2:47 am, "Antti Ilomäki" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > You're absolutely correct. What we're going to need is different ways > > > of interacting with the virtual worlds and managing the social > > > contacts. Starting a full-blown whiz-bang 3D-viewer isn't the optimal > > > solution in many cases. Having tailored clients for simpler > > > interactions will increase the value of the "3D Internet" immensely. > > > It's important to tie in existing communications forms such as email, > > > but we're also going to need new tools for managing communications > > > between realXtend users. This is actually something that's very > > > interesting to us (and especially me) and we're hopefully going to > > > start working on something in the near future. > > > > In any case, tailored viewers for different scenarios would be great. > > > For example simple web-based viewers, mobile phones, lightweight 3d > > > and why not console based as well, maybe simply a way to use the text > > > chat through IRC or something, all these things would expand the > > > functionality and usefulness of our application. > > > > 2008/7/28 dan miller <[email protected]>: > > > > > I think it's critical to keep in mind the distinction between the > > > > capabilities of the client/viewer software, and the meaning of the > > > > protocol itself (ie, what information the client and server share). > > > > > Just like the web, it is imperative not to assume that one set of > > > > client capabilities fits all use cases. While a big honking PC running > > > > the latest NVidia drivers and the latest Windows may work nicely, you > > > > should also be able to log on and interact over an iPhone, or even a > > > > less capable device. Meaning, a stock Ubuntu install on an old machine > > > > should work as well, with visualization somewhere between the honking > > > > gamer's box and the mobile phone with the 3" screen. > > > > > So to bring up a concrete example: I have been running the SL viewer on > > > > my Ubuntu machine. Of course I don't get silverlight; but frankly I > > > > don't care. I'm logging on for social interaction reasons, and whether > > > > or not the clouds are hyper-realistic just isn't that important to me. > > > > The problem is, my Unix build is unstable; it crashes frequently. When > > > > I complain about this on irc, I get the RIDICULOUS comment that it's > > > > crashing because my machine is underpowered. To quote the Sex Pistols, > > > > Bollocks. There is no conceivable reason that the viewer should be any > > > > less stable because it has downgraded graphics capabilities. This is > > > > simply a matter of sloppy programming and lack of testing, not some > > > > intrinsic requirement that the client be uber-graphically aware. > > > > > To sort of push this point to the max, I have been tempted to write a > > > > console-based SL viewer, using full-screen text rendering to show a > > > > top-down view of the space. Each avatar would be represented by a > > > > different character, and an irc-style chat area would run on the lower > > > > part of the screen. That might be all I need for about 90% of my > > > > SL/opensim visits. YMMV > > > > > -danx0r- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ this list: http://groups.google.com/group/realxtend realXtend home page: http://www.realxtend.org/ -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
