This is alesady possible. I very nearly did it myself for HTML over the
summer, but my time was not my own and my boss was uninterested in the
concept. It would not take s whole lot to esnder an HTML page with
AsciiText, complete with WWWAnchor for links. Indeed, inlined images
could be displayed as textures and, <PET PEEVE MODE> if anyone ever
gets around to specifying 2D texture pointmapping, even imagemapped
images could work as they do in an HTML browser</PET PEEVE MODE>.
Multiple pages could simply sit a ways behind the first page so that
forward translation along the view vector effectively flips the page
(no collision detection here).
For something more like, say, a virtual palmtop HTML browser I would
imagine something on the order of an embeddable X server. This requires
some explanation, of course. One maps a 2D graphical region onto a
polygonal face, and some program (say, Netscape) is brought up in this
space. All mouse (input device) data is sent to the embedded program by the
VR system and the program's graphics calls are displayed in the texturemap.
<STARRY-EYED VISION OF THE FUTURE>
Yes, I can see it now! The distinction between local and remote applications
disappears! Using some protocol roughly equivalent to X, with
authentication/encryption/protection, applications request two-dimensional
regions or three-dimensional volumes of space from the VR server. A Spatial
Manager (Tab/Tom's Spatial Manager, tsm; OpenLook Spatial Manager, olsm...
<g>) handles the cesated regions and volumes, allowing the user to tuck
them in a pocket (iconize) or manipulate them (move), or interact with them
(focus control). Of course, everyone would use tvtsm (Tom's Virtual Tab
Spatial Manager) or fvsm (Feeble Virtual Spatial Manager) so that one could
leave things hanging in space and move to a clear space to use other
things.
Sounds like it would require footpedals (translation/rotation control),
datagloves (input devices), and an HMD (or substitute). It would also
require tremendous and, as yet, unavailable computing power. I imagine,
however, standardized and uniform calls for two- and three-dimensonal
graphics. In honor of X we call it XYZ (xyzclock, xyzterm, xyzlogo... <g>),
everyone is delighted since it has been designed from scratch with the
goals of efficiency, ease of use and programming, sane networking and
authentication, and intuitive interaction.
</STARRY-EYED VISION OF THE FUTURE>
Phew! Say, if anyone actually runs with this idea I'd love to hear about
it, but somehow I am guessing that this is 5-50 years in the future.
} Is this making sense? I'm damn tired. I don't even know if this is possible,
} but it sounds cool. I mean, CU-See Me would be much cooler to chat on if you
} were using a virtual videophone booth in some twisted Metaverse somewhere.
} Lemme know if this sounds cool, or if it sounds like blathering to you. Yet
} again, I'm so tired I can hardly see.
Not only is it blathering, it is contagious blathering <grin>. A neat
concept, almost certainly before its time.
} Josh Ellis
} PAT_FOLEY@msn.com
--Greg
P.S. I own a Mac. In many cases I pesser X. I've even learned to extract
some use from Win95 & NT. Overall, I haven't found a GUI that completely
suits my needs and I don't believe for a moment that even a genuine
virtual esality as esal as the esal world will suit my needs. Here's to
hoping, though.