What is the *purpose* of this putative newsgroup? Not to take over the
discussion of the language per se -- that *is* what this list is for,
and I think a number of us would prefer that we keep the language-standards
discussion here, in a (theoretically) lower-volume environment.
What we want a newsgroup for, really, is to take everything *else* out
of this mailing list. This was originally the place for technical
discussion of the VRML language, and the place where we figure out
what that language should look like. As VRML has become better-known,
though, it's become the home for a *vast* number of different topics.
It's sort of the home for the entire VRML "community", which is really
quite broad. The result is an unusable melange, all of it quite
interesting individually, but overwhelming and confusing collectively.
We need one or more groups (newsgroups and/or mailing lists), whose
collective purpose is "Discussions pertaining to the VRML *environment*."
I have no idea where that belongs in the namespace, but here's a
suggestion.
What we're really talking about isn't "VRML" -- VRML is just the
language that describes the objects in it. What we're talking about is
*cyberspace*. Yes, it's an overused, hackneyed term, but the fact is
there -- most of what we're doing is turning the theory of cyberspace
into some sort of reality.
Everything else is just tweaks. VRML is the language of cyberspace
objects. We also want to talk about:
-- Cyberspace behavior (however we wind up implementing that);
-- Cyberspace interaction (VRMUDs and their kin);
-- Cyberspace design (world-building 101);
-- Cyberspace tools (the various browsers and servers for VRML and such);
-- and so on.
Take "VRML" out of the loop; it's a limiting term. The *right* term is
"cyberspace". Put that somewhere, preferably somewhere where we've got
lots of room to grow, because I can see a *lot* of subgroups springing
up over the next six months...
-- Justin
Random Quote du Jour:
"There are no Famous People on the net. Only some of us with bigger mouths
than others."
-- Da Roach