Because when you don't hit the mark, it causes people to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Visions are ok, but lots of publicity and preannouncements without the goods takes on the rep of being snake-oil. It is a very bad strategy to get into a market with the aim of eliminating all competitors. It screws the customers over. Netscape made that mistake and they had their collective rears handed to them.
To me, metaverse is just another word. It has no ownership and only as much meaning as there is running code to support it. It's like saying 'Heaven' and then setting up the dogma without the pragma. So no offense, but don't get possessive with a term. Offering up suggestions is cool. It is cooler to offer them with running code. He isn't exactly playing it safe. He has code, he spent the company money to get it ready for open source, and he has the access to the standards editors. Is it more of the same? We've had shared spaces but no standard for hooking those up without buying Blaxxun Community server or any of the various other products. All we've had is client standards. What Tony is talking about is a protocol that can be implemented anywhere, and possibly a reduction in costs for authors to have worlds that is ten percent of what it costs to host at LL. That is significant. Now don't get me wrong, I am not quarreling with the VOS vision or the work. I'm saying if he manages to get this done, it puts something on the street a lot of people need, so stepping back and saying "that's not a true Metaverse" is sour grapes. No one really knows what a metaverse is. You know what you want it to be and that is cool, but not authoritative or a reason to say he doesn't have one. We got in trouble by promising a science fantasy world that couldn't be built then if ever, and it turned people off to 3D on the web for ten years. If he gets shared spaces out there for ten percent of the cost of SL and does it with content standards that enable the content to move around among worlds without being hostage to POTS server farm market, that is an AMAZING and very revolutionary accomplishment. Give him cred, then get back to your vision and show the next new thing when it is ready to show. It's bad karma to climb up the backs of other swimmers trying to stay afloat in the same ocean. len -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ken Taylor Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 9:59 PM To: VOS Discussion Subject: Re: [vos-d] Flux Worlds Server Announcement I think that a basic open-standard shared-space server based on X3D is an obvious and safe step -- Flux Worlds will probably be very successful at what it does. But in my view, it doesn't bring us any closer to the "metaverse" and I hate when people through that word around (ever since the Lindens started doing so). To me it really is just more of the same -- we've had shared space servers around almost as long as VRML itself, and we're not that much closer to a true interconnected 3d "universe" on the internet. Someone has to stop playing it safe for anything revolutionary to occur. But what's wrong with snowcrash-like thinking or visions anyway? ;) -Ken ----- Original Message ----- From: "Len Bullard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'VOS Discussion'" <vos-d@interreality.org> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 7:47 PM Subject: Re: [vos-d] Flux Worlds Server Announcement > We learned the really hard way in the early years of VRML to take it slow > when trying to create something intended to scale out the Internet. I won't > quarrel with your requirements but I also am very leary of anything that > reeks of Snowcrash-like thinking or visions. We got burned because that > sort of thinking leads to expectations that are not just impossible in the > short term, they aren't achievable. VRML still gets hammered in books, > blogs and other articles for overreaching and not hitting those marks > despite the fact that as a standard, ten years later, the content still > works with current tools and a lot of current content sill works with old > tools. That is what a standard has to achieve. Don't overdrive your > headlights. It's a deadly mistake. > > So I'm not criticizing, but take it to the bank that Parisi knows better > than anyone what the cost of overreaching is. Your 'metaverse' is worth > having, but he is good ways down the path of making his work now and he has > been at the forefront of getting such standards built for over a decade now. > He isn't 'now' realizing; he paid the price in blood before most of the rest > of the current crowd was even trying. > > len > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of Ken Taylor > Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 9:10 PM > To: VOS Discussion > Subject: Re: [vos-d] Flux Worlds Server Announcement > > "Remember, the Metaverse needs open protocols. Without them... everything > else is Just a World." > > I agree with this, and I'm glad that more and more people are realizing it. > However, though it's necessary, it's not sufficient to create the > "metaverse." Some other requirements I would use to evaluate any "metaverse" > system: > > - Not only can anyone run a server, but they can easily interlink and users > can freely traverse the spaces between different servers, with the potential > for seamlessly connecting virtual spaces (eg, with portals). > - The protocol is "future-proof" and can keep up with developments in > technology and new ideas for interaction while maintaining backwards > compatibility and a reasonable experience for those with hardware or > bandwidth that can't support the latest-and-greatest > - The protocol should support use creation and ownership of content, > including a flexible scripting system, and the ability to transfer > user-created content between servers. It should support collaborative > editing and interaction with content. > - The protocol is highly extensible through 3rd-party plugins and not > "locked-in" to whatever the committee decided at standardization time was, > for example, the best parameterized-avatar system/voice-chat > system/streaming-video protocol/physics system/what-have-you. However, at > the same time, there should be a robust "baseline" spec that allows all > users to have a decent experience even with no plugins added. > > I definitely see VOS as having the potential to meet all these requirements > and beyond. I can't really tell from the press release how far they are > planning to go with flux worlds. My guess is it's going to be > yet-another-shared-space-server, this time based on X3D and easily > integrated with web pages. > > So it'll probably be really neat, but not the metaverse yet ;) > > -Ken > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tony Parisi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "'x3d-public list'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'www-vrml'" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 2:08 PM > Subject: [www-vrml] Flux Worlds Server Announcement > > > > Folks, > > > > We've been up to something over here - thought I would tell you about it > > before you heard it on the street. > > > > Media Machines has been developing a multi-user server based on a new > > protocol that we intend to put out into the open. We have dubbed it Simple > > Wide Area Multi-User Protocol, or SWMP (pronounced "swamp"). The intent is > > to work with Web3D and potentially other organizations to standardize > SWMP. > > We will also supply a basic open source implementation. Our overriding > > goal-- one that we are pursuing with total passion and vigor-- is to > create > > an open infrastructure for the Metaverse. > > > > We have wrapped SWMP into a server product called Flux Worlds. Flux Worlds > > is currently in alpha test. While the product is still several weeks away > > from beta test, we announced it yesterday with the goal of attracting > early > > signups for the beta. We are also integrating a prototype of the new X3D > > networking nodes being developing by the Networking Working Group, right > > into Flux Player. The results look promising. > > > > Anyway, here is the announcement. We would love to have you be part of the > > beta when it's ready! > > > > http://www.mediamachines.com/press/pressrelease-03292007.php > > > > Remember, the Metaverse needs open protocols. Without them... everything > > else is Just a World. > > > > Yours virtually, > > Tony > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Tony Parisi 415-902-8002 > > President/CEO [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Media Machines, Inc. www.mediamachines.com > > > > Add 3D content to your web page with the Flux Player. > > Go to www.mediamachines.com to upload and share your 3D content. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > _______________________________________________ > vos-d mailing list > vos-d@interreality.org > http://www.interreality.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/vos-d > > > > > _______________________________________________ > vos-d mailing list > vos-d@interreality.org > http://www.interreality.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/vos-d > _______________________________________________ vos-d mailing list vos-d@interreality.org http://www.interreality.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/vos-d _______________________________________________ vos-d mailing list vos-d@interreality.org http://www.interreality.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/vos-d
