Re: Scripts vs APIs
David Cake (davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au)
Thu, 8 Sep 94 12:42:31 WST
> > FOr example I am thinking of a situation where the API might include
> >things like create <object> or transform <object>, the actual object
> >descriptions will be written in VRML, and then by either writing directly to
> >the API or by using some sort of scripting language you create tools that
> >create VRML objects with useful and interesting properties.
>
> I'll resist this a little bit.Personally, I would like to be in the business
> of providing these tools, i.e. charging money for providing this. You know ...
> food, rent, the bills ... I can gain a competitive advantage by standardizing
> on the script, and selling the tools. I think this logic applies to a lot of
> people on this mailing list.
>
Hmmm.. I have very mixed feelings on what is suggested here. If you are
suggesting that we do not want t a standard API because you can get a
competitive advantage from having a non-standard one that is not well known,
then I must protest.
My understanding was that VRML was to be in much the same position
as HTML, a standard that is completely open, with no one getting any
advantage from anything to do with the language definition itself. Various
people are free to create clients or servers, and free to sell them
commerically if they want (but they compete against the free ones).
I guess I am confused because I can not understand what you are
suggesting. Are you against a common API because you wish tools to be
difficult to create, so there is less competition?
Simply put, I see no reason why a standard API prevents people from writing
tools based on it for commercial gain. The API would only cover direct
interaction with VRML anyway, there is still all the rest of an application
to write.
> If this is un-appealing to you, I suggest getting your hands on YART/GOOD,
> which is free from Ekki in Germany. Or OOGl from U Minn. and actively
> contributing to the development of that. That is an API that,
> in principle, could be used to read or generate VRML. I would rather
> see this group limit its discussion to VRML.
>
Now, first, if you are suggesting that people who do not want to make money
from VRML should leave now, I suspect that you are greatly confused about
the make up of this list. I think that the comment is extremely inappropriate.
Another minor point - I am not familiar with OOGI, but YART is a
ray trace system, not at all designed for interactive activity. This seems
to be very different to what I consider VRMLs function.
> BTW, the YART/GOOD API mailing list can be subscribed to be writing to
> Yart@PrakInf.TU-Ilmenau.DE
>
> --linas
>
>