>> From: jonmarb@microsoft.com
>> Cc: <www-vrml@wired.com>
>> Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 06:53:39 -0800
>>
>> >Is this a Microsoft-SGI alliance?
>>
>> no.
With all the wonderful talk of alliances, some points may be getting
lost in the fray:
1) A group of people from a lot of different companies came together
to build VRML in the first place, in this forum.
2) SGI did an awful lot to move VRML forward by allowing the use of
Inventor as a starting point, offering source code for parsing VRML,
and actually working with the VRML community in taking further steps
toward VRML 2.0.
3) Microsoft is now working to advance VRML as well, both by putting
forward a proposal, by offering source code as a starting point, and
by finally participating in this forum in earnest.
While there is no Microsoft-SGI alliance with rsspect to formal signed
technical agreements, there will have to be an alliance of the
companies and individuals contributing to this forum if we want to see
VRML move forward.
The end goal we all share is not Microsoft VRML nor SGI VRML, but
INTEROPERABLE VRML.
I believe we all should evaluate the proposals on technical merit,
quit assuming that Microsoft will be able to dictate what goes on, and
discontinue attacking Microsoft. We shouldn't be afraid to
incorporate any good technical approaches we find in their proposal,
nor should Microsoft assume that their entire ActiveVRML proposal will
become VRML 2.0 de facto, just because they are Microsoft.
Onward and upward, not backward nor sideways,
-Randy
// Randy Stiles Office: 415.354.5256 Orgn 9620 Bldg 255
// stiles@aic.lockheed.com Fax: 415.354.5235 3251 Hanover Street
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