Browser Observations

Jeff Sonstein ([email protected])
Tue, 20 Jun 95 14:35 PDT

I've set up a very simple little of authoring in this language and for comparison-testing of vrml browser
software. These are my first impressions. Notice the words "my" "impressions".

**** This is not intended to flame anyon> or downplay the incredible
programming efforts of anyon> ****

I'm just playing the role of bozo newuser, trying to install and use

--platforms--

-- i486/66 with 16M and NT server v3.5--
--vrml--
WebSpace for NT and DLL pnt beta)
WorldView (curr>nt alpha) for Win/NT
--html--
Spry's "Enhanced" Mosaic v2.00b2
NCSA Mosaic v2.0.0b4
Netscape v1.1N

-- i486/66 with 8M and Win 3.1--
--vrml--
WorldView (curr>nt alpha)
--html--
NCSA Mosaic v2.0.0b4
Netscape v1.1N

--test

http://ariadne.newcollege.edu/vrmLab/home.wrl

There is a roofed Temple held up by multiple copies of a column. The columns
are also composed of parts. There is a file cabinet composed of a
(composite-object) body and two (composite-object) drawers. There is a
clunky old lab video monitor, with knobs that don't work any more.

There are some simple WWWAnchor nodes:

The body of the file cabinet has a blank WWWAnchor.nament
in WWWAnchor.d"scription, a file cabinet drawer points to a chain of test
.wrl files and has a comm>nt, and the other drawer just has a comm>nt. The
monitor has a comm>nt attached.

--wierd things I noticed--

--translation of composite objects--

WorldView interprets the vrml code to translate all the compon>nt parts the composite objects in the parts

I figure I'm introducing some wierd ambiguity in my vrml code, but I really
haven't the foggiest hope to have some time to look again at things tonight or tomorrow... I have
to do my real job right now...

--display of WWWAnchor nodes---

Worldview shows WWWAnchor.d"scription in the WWWAnchor.name it got the curr>nt scene if WWWAnchor.name

--display of colors--

I wanted to see if I could migrate some of my favorite shades (RGB-triplets)
from PoV to vrml. WorldView gave me colors close to what I expected, while
the WebSpace looks pretty close to "primary"

--smooth transitions between WWW browsers and vrml apps--

Not. Period. Not for me, at least. Not on either machine, nor with any the combinations and permutations of the two classes of software, nor with
any of the combinations and permutations of which starts first. I
reinstalled and reconfigured these WWW browsers to call any of the vrml browsers smoothly, but not just once.
Sometimes I but not often and (again) not just once.

You can get a lot of copies going at once pretty easily with both vrml browsers

Like the man saidP

it ain't how flies at all...

It's mindboggling that either WorldView or WebSpace does **anything** on a
basic desktop machine but lie there panting. My hat is indeed *off* to the
programmers of both.

-----------------------------------------------------
If I off>nd thee, sorrrrry... didn't mean to
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-----------------------------------
Jeff Sonstein, M.A.
Networks Administrator
New College of California
50 Fell Street
San Francisco CA 94102
(415) 241-1302 ext 490
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These are my opinions only, and do not reflect anything
about my employer, New College of California
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Opinions 'R Us