Re: [TECH] Sun's Java and VRML

Anthony Parisi (dagobert@netcom.com)
Mon, 27 Mar 1995 18:52:21 -0500


Suresh writes:

>If someone ports something like OpenGL or OpenInventor to Java, then
>will the VRML effort be moot ?
>

No. OpenGL and OpenInventor are not the only rendering engines/toolkits in
the world. Also, there are networking pieces in VRML that are not in
Inventor-- a few now, more to come as we begin to understand the network issues.

>As I understand it (I may be wrong) the current VRML application model
>is that the application state will be stored in the server, which will
>generate the geometry and send this across as an ASCII file to the browser.
>But with HotJava (which can store and execute arbitrary code), only
>application state transitions need to be propagated across the network.
>Geometry can be completely the browser's lookout. Since application state
>is a higher level abstraction compared to geometry, the HotJava model
>will be less bandwidth intensive than the VRML model.
>

You understand correctly. HotJava sounds extremely interesting.

As the Daarmstadt conference approaches, we (the folks who are riding herd
on the spec process) will be sending mail to the list soliciting proposals
for behavior architecture/API/languages. I hope to see HotJava among the
proposals.

>Also, if mere application state is what is going across the pipe, and
>geometry is entirely upto the browser, then I can extremely easily
>implement scenarious involving what could be called "camouflage/facemask"
>transformations - kind of like a visual analog of anonymous remailers.
>As Cyberspace becomes more visual and interactive, this capability
>is going to be _extremely_ important. I cannot easily do this if I'm
>constrained to communicate at the level of application geometry.
>

Yes, Yes, Yes.

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Tony Parisi (wearing VRML spec weenie hat today <:)
General Partner
The Community Company 415 648-1739 dagobert@netcom.com
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Tony Parisi
General Partner
The Community Company 415 648-1739 dagobert@netcom.com
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