I recently attended a presentation that featured 3 topics. The first was Hot
Java (a WWW browser from Sun Microsystems), the second was about VRML (Virtual
Reality Modeling Language) and the third was about IUMA (Internet Underground
Music Archives). What follows is a transcription of my notes plus personal
notations. Where possible, I have skipped over details that are covered in
more detail at the relevant URLs.
Part 1
Hot Java, by Sun Microsystems
http://java.sun.com
speaker: Chuck McManis, Sun
- a WWW client/browser
- the browser and language are free, for non-commercial use
- the language specification is open, leaving anyone free to
develop an implementation
- if you want to sell your version, contact Sun
- the client has an integral interpreter to run Java code
- the interpreter is fast, about 10 times faster than tcl
- about half the speed of compiled C++
- debugging tools: an excellent print utility is available :)
- Java code is similar to C++, but without the baggage
- for those who know C, Java is a good stepping stone to learn both
OO concepts and C++
- several schools may adopt this technique for teaching OOP and C++
- a sample of Java code is known as an Applet
- actually a class, in object-oriented terms
- an applet is capable of doing almost anything, since it is a program
- animation
- video/audio
- call other applets
- interactive with other applets or applications
- works concurrently with http/HTML and will work with VRML (not specified)
- security issues
- virus/trojan horse
- language does not allow system calls, not in the specification
- trusting class sources
- is the applet "trustworthy"?
- trusting the source/author of the applet is still an issue, but using
an applet from a public archive is safer than the current practice of
downloading a file from a public ftp site
- an applet can be a protocol
- since an applet is a program, it can be a protocol, too
(personal note: this will allow anyone to write their own secure protocol
for data transmission (i.e. digital cash or credit card numbers) that the
browser would use once, and forget; may put some pressure on SHTTP and SSL)
Personal Notes:
- much more, complete information is available at the Java URL, above
- Java could allow a merchant to accept debit (ATM) cards for transactions,
if the bank cooperates
- there will be a market for automatic code generators
- a market will evolve that is remarkably similar to the one that currently
exists for Microsoft Visual Basic tools
- Java may well be the springboard for providing interactivity over the Web
- a person sitting beside me was furiously taking notes under the heading
of "Network/Modem Games" :)
- this is on my top 5 list of "things to learn this year"
- this is a hot product and I bet several companies will license Java
Part 2
VRML and SGI WebSpace, Silicon Graphics
http://www.sgi.com/Products/WebFORCE/WebSpace
speakers: Rikk Carey, Kevin Long both of SGI
- Virtual Reality Modeling Language
- an open specification developed last year at the WWW developers conference
- it's real and 3D content does exist on the web
- it is not a simple markup language like HTML
- VRML browsers work concurrently with a standard WWW browser
- target system = 486/040, 8MB RAM, color, 14.4 modem
- cross-platform compatibility
- 3D is quite compact
- without textures, it is 8 times smaller than a Quicktime animation
- about the size of a comparable gif, except you can't move around in
a gif
- good compression for moderately complex "worlds"
- navigation presents some problems
- must use "level of detail" techniques
- conserves resources
- adds perspective
- use "waypoints" to help in navigating (point to a location and the
browser takes you there)
- most spaces won't utilize the vertical perspective, much
- exceptions will be "climbing stairs", "ramps", "elevators", etc.
- the current specification doesn't include a method to represent other
browsers in a 3D world
- left for future development, possibly version 2 or 3
- there are currently some translators available CAD -> DXF -> VRML
- many more being developed
- goal is to let any 3D drawing/CAD package output VRML
(I asked about translators for GIS software, but none were known of)
Personal Notes:
- this presentation was mostly a demo, and a very impressive one
- as soon as I can get my hands on the software and translators,
you can expect to see a 3D web page for the Forum, this year :)
- this also makes the top 5 in my "things to learn" list
Part 3
Internet Underground Music Archive
http://www.iuma.com
speaker: Will Hobbs, IUMA
- "This is a story about how 2 kids in a dorm room discovered the web and
thought of a way to revolutionize the music industry ... and did it."
- when they started, late last year, they had 30 bands ... now they have 600
- they are still "signing" several bands a week
- still trying to make money
- "The internet is like a gold-rush, the only people making money are
those who sell the pans."
- providers are raking in the dollars
- will soon end when providers have to pay franchise fees
- perceives a cable television business model for content providers
- bands can actually make a living selling music
- current distribution methods gives a band $2.00 or less per disc
- IUMA gives a band $7.00 per disc
- some bands are selling well
- record companies want 1 star and sell billions of discs, ideally
- IUMA gives bands (potentially) millions of times more exposure than
a tour could
- hoping for ISDN or cable modems to support real-time spooling/transmission
of audio files
- will actually conserve bandwidth because the whole file doesn't have to
be downloaded, first, before listening
Personal Notes:
- this site is worth visiting just to see if this will become the future
of retailing or direct sales
- for commodity items, this could make manufacturers more money and save
end users dollars by eliminating distributors ... on-line factory outlet
- makes most sense for certain products
--
William Barr, Stanford Computer Forum phone: 415-723-6632
ERL 448/450, Stanford, CA 94305-4055 fax: 415-725-7398
[email protected] finger [email protected] for PGP
<URL:http://www-forum.stanford.edu/~wbarr/wbarr.html>
listowner: [email protected]
"My opinions are mine and only mine."