Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Previous Topic Next Topic
 
classic Classic list List threaded Threaded
24 messages Options
12
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Jeroen van Hilst
Best Hussayn,

You bring up the same thoughts and questions ive been struggling with.

I am (also) trying to think of ways that would allow me/others to make a SL
kind of environment in Croquet.
Still feeling a smalltalk newbie - after two years into it, i don't have the
answers.

What i see and understand of Croquet/squeak, tells me it has enormous
potential, but it needs to be polished.
It's still like a diamond in the rough.

As far as i know, there are no building tools present yet - at least not as
advanced as in SL.
You need to program for everyting you want to do now in Croquet, which - for
me - is still a bit hard.
Im still trying to get better at plain squeak/smalltalk and trying to
understand Croquet (and its frameworks).
But for me - as an outsider - it is hard to see which parts (of Croquet) are
finished (or almost finished) and what is in the pipeline.

I think SL is a very intresting environment, because it has an enourmous
userbase, which has made lots of contents.
SL shows very well what a group (community) of people can do - even with
limited tools. I say this because the building
tools in SL are great, but the scripting is lousy. Also, they are not doing
well on the scalibility of their service,
which are the exact points where Croquet can do great (as far as i
understand).

If you wanna meetup in SL, my username is: Frunnik Herbst
I would like very much to exchange some more ideas and thoughts, and maybe
we could inspire each other.

Best regards,

  -jeroen



PS: I am a software developer in Amsterdam, Holland - so we are practicly
neighbours already ;).



"Hussayn Dabbous" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:WISCLIST-3319951-4203780-2007.01.27-08.11.16--croquet-dev%[hidden email]...
> Hi, all;
>
> I am a software developer (running a small IT-company in cologne/germany)
and
> recently i stumbled/jumped into the exciting world of VR. So i am
absolutely newbie
> here... After some initial "dont know where to go" i finally ended up
doing some
> first investigations on Croquet, Ogoglio and on SL. I also looked at
others,
> but at the end it was Croquet and SL which i took some time for. So in
short i
> found quite a few very interesting ongoing development in this  field.
>
> But when it comes to "business" (whatever that means) i have the strong
feeling
> that i am sitting in the dark tunnel but don't see the light at the end.
> Paul i just have read your contrib and i am willing to investigate in
finding
> a way out ;-)
>
> My very first idea regarding "productive usage scenarios with VR" was to
setup
> a VR based "issue tracking system" where i would install two virtual rooms
> one at the customers site one at my site and let do comunications threw
VR.
> I discussed this idea recently on the Croquet devlist and it was judged as
> feasible and doable, but i still can't get over some current limitations
> (which may well exists only due to my unawareness).
>
> So here are my thoughts/doubts and hopefully i can get some feedback or
someone
> would help me to start some constructive activities to get over the (my?)
limitations.
>
> First of all any introduction of a VR based issue tracker must be totally
accepted
> by (my/the) customers, which means a handfull of preconditions:
>
> - it must be easy to install (best would be to have a plugin for IE)
> - it must run seemlessly over HTTP in order to get through the firewalls
>    at the customers site
> - it must be easy to handle, best would be to fire up the app (possibly
login)
>    and arrive in your local room.
> - controlling of the in world navigation must be intuitive and easy...
> - people must feel comfortable from the first minute...
>
>  From the postings i received i understood, Croquet is on the way or even
has
> allready the infrastructure to achieve these goals (with some additional
programming).
> I haven't seen the Browser plugin, but i have been told there is one
(somebody can
> tell me where? i missed to find it ...)
>
> I currently miss a few essential things regarding comfort in Croquet,
e.g.:
>
> - i would like to see my avatar "well formed" i.e. adequate to the app.
Rabbits
>    are simply not an option ;-)
>    i know, i could fire up Poses and after some quick hacking i could get
my
>    SL Avatar running around in Croquet worlds. But IMHO the minimum
requirement
>    would be to get some easy to use avatar constructor/editor into play so
that
>    i can start off with some prototype characters and easy customization.
> - i would like to see an easy building editor where i can construct my
room
>    as i need it. placing walls where i want them and putting in extra
items
>    as i need them, doing some land shaping... If there are some tools
around,
>    which allow me to construct my virtual world outside of Croquet and
then import
>    it later, that would be a starting point at least. Currently i did not
>    even manage to create an emtpy world with the Croquet SDK (i am afraid,
>    i am really unaware of the basics...)
> - I wonder whether it may be possible to not only port Avatars from SL,
but also port
>    Landscapes (better say the static definitions of a whole room/world)
from SL to Croquet.
>    So i could go to SL, construct my room(s) there, export them and import
them into
>    Croquet. That would help me getting around quite a few reservations.
afaik the
>    datastructures needed (at least) for import into SL are open and
available...
>    So export from SL might go as well... But maybe there are far better 3D
construction
>    frameworks available, which could be used to generate VR rooms ?
>
> Of course i am currently tramping around in SL simply because it is so
amazingly
> easy to manage the user interaction stuff like building rooms, moving
around, etc.
> Ok there IS a certain amount of pleasure and fun tramping around at their
place too ;-)
> But it won't help me achieving my goals as expressed above, because SL is
currently
> a closed framework, where even the Hardware is under sole control of the
Linden Lab.
>
> So where will things evolve in the near/far future?
> - Will SL open up and allow external servers connect to their worlds
and/or make
>    their server software available (licensed or public)?
> - Is VR in general an option to compete with todays Web at all ?
> - Will Ogoglio take a role or influence development with their ideas about
reusing
>    known technologies?
> - Or will Croquet gain momentum and find a way into an easy to use and
easy to manage
>    VR application at the end?
>
> So where to go right now ? Keeping an Eye on Croquet is definitely an
option. Keeping
> an eye on SL? yes, i think so. Understanding what people will do NOW in
the public
> VR should allow some pragmatic predictions into future usage scenarios...
>
> But is keeping an eye on it all i could DO now? Where to go next? Maybe
others are on
> the way. I'd like to share your experiences and opinions. I want to
understand which
> next steps would be best to go. At the end finding a way out of the dark
would be great ;-)
>
> Sometimes i ask myself whether one day we could achieve such a level of
compatibility,
> that it becomes possible to simply step threw a Croquet portal into other
VR's i.e. SL.
> Ok, that sounds like SCIFI to me, but at the end there is OpenID and other
stuff already
> available as i learned from an interview with Ogoglio's Trevor Smith at
>
> http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/01/interview_with_.html
>
> I'd appreciate if someone could find some answers or hints for next moves.
Maybe we
> can get along the way together ;-) I even was so crazy to order an Island
in SL where
> i plan to build a developers camp (i told i'm sitting in the dark,
right?). So it would
> be at least an interesting experience to meet some of you "in world" when
it is ready
> and start planning how to flee from SL back to Croquet at the end ;-)
>
> best regards from Koeln and hope for getting some guidance/further
insights,
> guidelines, whatever...
> Hussayn
>
>
>




Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Hussayn Dabbous-2
Hy, Jeroen;

Nice to see, that there is some activity out in the real world.
Definitely i'd appreciate to get into closer contact. So lets meet in SL.
I was not soo creative with my name in SL, it's simply "hussayn salomon"

Maybe we can even organize a get together with others in SL in a second
step ? I'd really like to check, if that works as expected ;-)

I propose to meet at IBM, maybe on one of the sandboxes around there ?
Or do you have a better place ? Maybe an office ?

The IBM SLURL i have in mind is http://slurl.com/secondlife/IBM/47/203/102

We can either meet at the usual office hours or late in the evening. Just drop
me an email when you are going online. chances are high that i am around ;-)

BTW i opened up a new blog about the theme yesterday at http://saxess.wordpress.com/

regards, hussayn

Jeroen van Hilst schrieb:

> Best Hussayn,
>
> You bring up the same thoughts and questions ive been struggling with.
>
> I am (also) trying to think of ways that would allow me/others to make a SL
> kind of environment in Croquet.
> Still feeling a smalltalk newbie - after two years into it, i don't have the
> answers.
>
> What i see and understand of Croquet/squeak, tells me it has enormous
> potential, but it needs to be polished.
> It's still like a diamond in the rough.
>
> As far as i know, there are no building tools present yet - at least not as
> advanced as in SL.
> You need to program for everyting you want to do now in Croquet, which - for
> me - is still a bit hard.
> Im still trying to get better at plain squeak/smalltalk and trying to
> understand Croquet (and its frameworks).
> But for me - as an outsider - it is hard to see which parts (of Croquet) are
> finished (or almost finished) and what is in the pipeline.
>
> I think SL is a very intresting environment, because it has an enourmous
> userbase, which has made lots of contents.
> SL shows very well what a group (community) of people can do - even with
> limited tools. I say this because the building
> tools in SL are great, but the scripting is lousy. Also, they are not doing
> well on the scalibility of their service,
> which are the exact points where Croquet can do great (as far as i
> understand).
>
> If you wanna meetup in SL, my username is: Frunnik Herbst
> I would like very much to exchange some more ideas and thoughts, and maybe
> we could inspire each other.
>
> Best regards,
>
>   -jeroen
>
>
>
> PS: I am a software developer in Amsterdam, Holland - so we are practicly
> neighbours already ;).
>
>
>
> "Hussayn Dabbous" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
> news:WISCLIST-3319951-4203780-2007.01.27-08.11.16--croquet-dev%[hidden email]...
>> Hi, all;
>>
>> I am a software developer (running a small IT-company in cologne/germany)
> and
>> recently i stumbled/jumped into the exciting world of VR. So i am
> absolutely newbie
>> here... After some initial "dont know where to go" i finally ended up
> doing some
>> first investigations on Croquet, Ogoglio and on SL. I also looked at
> others,
>> but at the end it was Croquet and SL which i took some time for. So in
> short i
>> found quite a few very interesting ongoing development in this  field.
>>
>> But when it comes to "business" (whatever that means) i have the strong
> feeling
>> that i am sitting in the dark tunnel but don't see the light at the end.
>> Paul i just have read your contrib and i am willing to investigate in
> finding
>> a way out ;-)
>>
>> My very first idea regarding "productive usage scenarios with VR" was to
> setup
>> a VR based "issue tracking system" where i would install two virtual rooms
>> one at the customers site one at my site and let do comunications threw
> VR.
>> I discussed this idea recently on the Croquet devlist and it was judged as
>> feasible and doable, but i still can't get over some current limitations
>> (which may well exists only due to my unawareness).
>>
>> So here are my thoughts/doubts and hopefully i can get some feedback or
> someone
>> would help me to start some constructive activities to get over the (my?)
> limitations.
>> First of all any introduction of a VR based issue tracker must be totally
> accepted
>> by (my/the) customers, which means a handfull of preconditions:
>>
>> - it must be easy to install (best would be to have a plugin for IE)
>> - it must run seemlessly over HTTP in order to get through the firewalls
>>    at the customers site
>> - it must be easy to handle, best would be to fire up the app (possibly
> login)
>>    and arrive in your local room.
>> - controlling of the in world navigation must be intuitive and easy...
>> - people must feel comfortable from the first minute...
>>
>>  From the postings i received i understood, Croquet is on the way or even
> has
>> allready the infrastructure to achieve these goals (with some additional
> programming).
>> I haven't seen the Browser plugin, but i have been told there is one
> (somebody can
>> tell me where? i missed to find it ...)
>>
>> I currently miss a few essential things regarding comfort in Croquet,
> e.g.:
>> - i would like to see my avatar "well formed" i.e. adequate to the app.
> Rabbits
>>    are simply not an option ;-)
>>    i know, i could fire up Poses and after some quick hacking i could get
> my
>>    SL Avatar running around in Croquet worlds. But IMHO the minimum
> requirement
>>    would be to get some easy to use avatar constructor/editor into play so
> that
>>    i can start off with some prototype characters and easy customization.
>> - i would like to see an easy building editor where i can construct my
> room
>>    as i need it. placing walls where i want them and putting in extra
> items
>>    as i need them, doing some land shaping... If there are some tools
> around,
>>    which allow me to construct my virtual world outside of Croquet and
> then import
>>    it later, that would be a starting point at least. Currently i did not
>>    even manage to create an emtpy world with the Croquet SDK (i am afraid,
>>    i am really unaware of the basics...)
>> - I wonder whether it may be possible to not only port Avatars from SL,
> but also port
>>    Landscapes (better say the static definitions of a whole room/world)
> from SL to Croquet.
>>    So i could go to SL, construct my room(s) there, export them and import
> them into
>>    Croquet. That would help me getting around quite a few reservations.
> afaik the
>>    datastructures needed (at least) for import into SL are open and
> available...
>>    So export from SL might go as well... But maybe there are far better 3D
> construction
>>    frameworks available, which could be used to generate VR rooms ?
>>
>> Of course i am currently tramping around in SL simply because it is so
> amazingly
>> easy to manage the user interaction stuff like building rooms, moving
> around, etc.
>> Ok there IS a certain amount of pleasure and fun tramping around at their
> place too ;-)
>> But it won't help me achieving my goals as expressed above, because SL is
> currently
>> a closed framework, where even the Hardware is under sole control of the
> Linden Lab.
>> So where will things evolve in the near/far future?
>> - Will SL open up and allow external servers connect to their worlds
> and/or make
>>    their server software available (licensed or public)?
>> - Is VR in general an option to compete with todays Web at all ?
>> - Will Ogoglio take a role or influence development with their ideas about
> reusing
>>    known technologies?
>> - Or will Croquet gain momentum and find a way into an easy to use and
> easy to manage
>>    VR application at the end?
>>
>> So where to go right now ? Keeping an Eye on Croquet is definitely an
> option. Keeping
>> an eye on SL? yes, i think so. Understanding what people will do NOW in
> the public
>> VR should allow some pragmatic predictions into future usage scenarios...
>>
>> But is keeping an eye on it all i could DO now? Where to go next? Maybe
> others are on
>> the way. I'd like to share your experiences and opinions. I want to
> understand which
>> next steps would be best to go. At the end finding a way out of the dark
> would be great ;-)
>> Sometimes i ask myself whether one day we could achieve such a level of
> compatibility,
>> that it becomes possible to simply step threw a Croquet portal into other
> VR's i.e. SL.
>> Ok, that sounds like SCIFI to me, but at the end there is OpenID and other
> stuff already
>> available as i learned from an interview with Ogoglio's Trevor Smith at
>>
>> http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/01/interview_with_.html
>>
>> I'd appreciate if someone could find some answers or hints for next moves.
> Maybe we
>> can get along the way together ;-) I even was so crazy to order an Island
> in SL where
>> i plan to build a developers camp (i told i'm sitting in the dark,
> right?). So it would
>> be at least an interesting experience to meet some of you "in world" when
> it is ready
>> and start planning how to flee from SL back to Croquet at the end ;-)
>>
>> best regards from Koeln and hope for getting some guidance/further
> insights,
>> guidelines, whatever...
>> Hussayn
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>


Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

RE: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Kaan Bingöl
Hi all,

It was really nice to see people with common interest on using open source technologies to build virtual worlds. I have been looking on and investigating in SL, Croquet and Uni-verse for some time to figure out which direction should i take to build such worlds. As a group of software developers and designers from Istanbul, Turkey, our aim is to develop multi-user virtual worlds.

Integrating various technologies is also an interesting route, as Kelly Rued stated, because in this way users of different worlds may interfere with each other or even come together seamlessly.

I would like to propose coming together in SL, and form a group to discuss and even pilot some ideas. My name in SL is "Kaan Tornado" (pretty straightforward). I wait for others to send e-mail or IM to meet and start a group in SL.

Regards, Kaan

-----Original Message-----
From: news [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Hussayn Dabbous
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 9:28 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Hy, Jeroen;

Nice to see, that there is some activity out in the real world.
Definitely i'd appreciate to get into closer contact. So lets meet in SL.
I was not soo creative with my name in SL, it's simply "hussayn salomon"

Maybe we can even organize a get together with others in SL in a second
step ? I'd really like to check, if that works as expected ;-)

I propose to meet at IBM, maybe on one of the sandboxes around there ?
Or do you have a better place ? Maybe an office ?

The IBM SLURL i have in mind is http://slurl.com/secondlife/IBM/47/203/102

We can either meet at the usual office hours or late in the evening. Just drop
me an email when you are going online. chances are high that i am around ;-)

BTW i opened up a new blog about the theme yesterday at http://saxess.wordpress.com/

regards, hussayn

Jeroen van Hilst schrieb:

> Best Hussayn,
>
> You bring up the same thoughts and questions ive been struggling with.
>
> I am (also) trying to think of ways that would allow me/others to make a SL
> kind of environment in Croquet.
> Still feeling a smalltalk newbie - after two years into it, i don't have the
> answers.
>
> What i see and understand of Croquet/squeak, tells me it has enormous
> potential, but it needs to be polished.
> It's still like a diamond in the rough.
>
> As far as i know, there are no building tools present yet - at least not as
> advanced as in SL.
> You need to program for everyting you want to do now in Croquet, which - for
> me - is still a bit hard.
> Im still trying to get better at plain squeak/smalltalk and trying to
> understand Croquet (and its frameworks).
> But for me - as an outsider - it is hard to see which parts (of Croquet) are
> finished (or almost finished) and what is in the pipeline.
>
> I think SL is a very intresting environment, because it has an enourmous
> userbase, which has made lots of contents.
> SL shows very well what a group (community) of people can do - even with
> limited tools. I say this because the building
> tools in SL are great, but the scripting is lousy. Also, they are not doing
> well on the scalibility of their service,
> which are the exact points where Croquet can do great (as far as i
> understand).
>
> If you wanna meetup in SL, my username is: Frunnik Herbst
> I would like very much to exchange some more ideas and thoughts, and maybe
> we could inspire each other.
>
> Best regards,
>
>   -jeroen
>
>
>
> PS: I am a software developer in Amsterdam, Holland - so we are practicly
> neighbours already ;).
>
>
>
> "Hussayn Dabbous" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
> news:WISCLIST-3319951-4203780-2007.01.27-08.11.16--croquet-dev%[hidden email]...
>> Hi, all;
>>
>> I am a software developer (running a small IT-company in cologne/germany)
> and
>> recently i stumbled/jumped into the exciting world of VR. So i am
> absolutely newbie
>> here... After some initial "dont know where to go" i finally ended up
> doing some
>> first investigations on Croquet, Ogoglio and on SL. I also looked at
> others,
>> but at the end it was Croquet and SL which i took some time for. So in
> short i
>> found quite a few very interesting ongoing development in this  field.
>>
>> But when it comes to "business" (whatever that means) i have the strong
> feeling
>> that i am sitting in the dark tunnel but don't see the light at the end.
>> Paul i just have read your contrib and i am willing to investigate in
> finding
>> a way out ;-)
>>
>> My very first idea regarding "productive usage scenarios with VR" was to
> setup
>> a VR based "issue tracking system" where i would install two virtual rooms
>> one at the customers site one at my site and let do comunications threw
> VR.
>> I discussed this idea recently on the Croquet devlist and it was judged as
>> feasible and doable, but i still can't get over some current limitations
>> (which may well exists only due to my unawareness).
>>
>> So here are my thoughts/doubts and hopefully i can get some feedback or
> someone
>> would help me to start some constructive activities to get over the (my?)
> limitations.
>> First of all any introduction of a VR based issue tracker must be totally
> accepted
>> by (my/the) customers, which means a handfull of preconditions:
>>
>> - it must be easy to install (best would be to have a plugin for IE)
>> - it must run seemlessly over HTTP in order to get through the firewalls
>>    at the customers site
>> - it must be easy to handle, best would be to fire up the app (possibly
> login)
>>    and arrive in your local room.
>> - controlling of the in world navigation must be intuitive and easy...
>> - people must feel comfortable from the first minute...
>>
>>  From the postings i received i understood, Croquet is on the way or even
> has
>> allready the infrastructure to achieve these goals (with some additional
> programming).
>> I haven't seen the Browser plugin, but i have been told there is one
> (somebody can
>> tell me where? i missed to find it ...)
>>
>> I currently miss a few essential things regarding comfort in Croquet,
> e.g.:
>> - i would like to see my avatar "well formed" i.e. adequate to the app.
> Rabbits
>>    are simply not an option ;-)
>>    i know, i could fire up Poses and after some quick hacking i could get
> my
>>    SL Avatar running around in Croquet worlds. But IMHO the minimum
> requirement
>>    would be to get some easy to use avatar constructor/editor into play so
> that
>>    i can start off with some prototype characters and easy customization.
>> - i would like to see an easy building editor where i can construct my
> room
>>    as i need it. placing walls where i want them and putting in extra
> items
>>    as i need them, doing some land shaping... If there are some tools
> around,
>>    which allow me to construct my virtual world outside of Croquet and
> then import
>>    it later, that would be a starting point at least. Currently i did not
>>    even manage to create an emtpy world with the Croquet SDK (i am afraid,
>>    i am really unaware of the basics...)
>> - I wonder whether it may be possible to not only port Avatars from SL,
> but also port
>>    Landscapes (better say the static definitions of a whole room/world)
> from SL to Croquet.
>>    So i could go to SL, construct my room(s) there, export them and import
> them into
>>    Croquet. That would help me getting around quite a few reservations.
> afaik the
>>    datastructures needed (at least) for import into SL are open and
> available...
>>    So export from SL might go as well... But maybe there are far better 3D
> construction
>>    frameworks available, which could be used to generate VR rooms ?
>>
>> Of course i am currently tramping around in SL simply because it is so
> amazingly
>> easy to manage the user interaction stuff like building rooms, moving
> around, etc.
>> Ok there IS a certain amount of pleasure and fun tramping around at their
> place too ;-)
>> But it won't help me achieving my goals as expressed above, because SL is
> currently
>> a closed framework, where even the Hardware is under sole control of the
> Linden Lab.
>> So where will things evolve in the near/far future?
>> - Will SL open up and allow external servers connect to their worlds
> and/or make
>>    their server software available (licensed or public)?
>> - Is VR in general an option to compete with todays Web at all ?
>> - Will Ogoglio take a role or influence development with their ideas about
> reusing
>>    known technologies?
>> - Or will Croquet gain momentum and find a way into an easy to use and
> easy to manage
>>    VR application at the end?
>>
>> So where to go right now ? Keeping an Eye on Croquet is definitely an
> option. Keeping
>> an eye on SL? yes, i think so. Understanding what people will do NOW in
> the public
>> VR should allow some pragmatic predictions into future usage scenarios...
>>
>> But is keeping an eye on it all i could DO now? Where to go next? Maybe
> others are on
>> the way. I'd like to share your experiences and opinions. I want to
> understand which
>> next steps would be best to go. At the end finding a way out of the dark
> would be great ;-)
>> Sometimes i ask myself whether one day we could achieve such a level of
> compatibility,
>> that it becomes possible to simply step threw a Croquet portal into other
> VR's i.e. SL.
>> Ok, that sounds like SCIFI to me, but at the end there is OpenID and other
> stuff already
>> available as i learned from an interview with Ogoglio's Trevor Smith at
>>
>> http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/01/interview_with_.html
>>
>> I'd appreciate if someone could find some answers or hints for next moves.
> Maybe we
>> can get along the way together ;-) I even was so crazy to order an Island
> in SL where
>> i plan to build a developers camp (i told i'm sitting in the dark,
> right?). So it would
>> be at least an interesting experience to meet some of you "in world" when
> it is ready
>> and start planning how to flee from SL back to Croquet at the end ;-)
>>
>> best regards from Koeln and hope for getting some guidance/further
> insights,
>> guidelines, whatever...
>> Hussayn
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Giulio Prisco
I own an island in SL and can offer a meeting place. See
http://uvvy.com/ - I am Giulio Perhaps in SL.
How do you like uni-verse? What about Multiverse (multiverse.net)?
G.

On 2/1/07, Kaan Bingöl <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> It was really nice to see people with common interest on using open source technologies to build virtual worlds. I have been looking on and investigating in SL, Croquet and Uni-verse for some time to figure out which direction should i take to build such worlds. As a group of software developers and designers from Istanbul, Turkey, our aim is to develop multi-user virtual worlds.
>
> Integrating various technologies is also an interesting route, as Kelly Rued stated, because in this way users of different worlds may interfere with each other or even come together seamlessly.
>
> I would like to propose coming together in SL, and form a group to discuss and even pilot some ideas. My name in SL is "Kaan Tornado" (pretty straightforward). I wait for others to send e-mail or IM to meet and start a group in SL.
>
> Regards, Kaan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: news [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Hussayn Dabbous
> Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 9:28 AM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)
>
> Hy, Jeroen;
>
> Nice to see, that there is some activity out in the real world.
> Definitely i'd appreciate to get into closer contact. So lets meet in SL.
> I was not soo creative with my name in SL, it's simply "hussayn salomon"
>
> Maybe we can even organize a get together with others in SL in a second
> step ? I'd really like to check, if that works as expected ;-)
>
> I propose to meet at IBM, maybe on one of the sandboxes around there ?
> Or do you have a better place ? Maybe an office ?
>
> The IBM SLURL i have in mind is http://slurl.com/secondlife/IBM/47/203/102
>
> We can either meet at the usual office hours or late in the evening. Just drop
> me an email when you are going online. chances are high that i am around ;-)
>
> BTW i opened up a new blog about the theme yesterday at http://saxess.wordpress.com/
>
> regards, hussayn
>
> Jeroen van Hilst schrieb:
> > Best Hussayn,
> >
> > You bring up the same thoughts and questions ive been struggling with.
> >
> > I am (also) trying to think of ways that would allow me/others to make a SL
> > kind of environment in Croquet.
> > Still feeling a smalltalk newbie - after two years into it, i don't have the
> > answers.
> >
> > What i see and understand of Croquet/squeak, tells me it has enormous
> > potential, but it needs to be polished.
> > It's still like a diamond in the rough.
> >
> > As far as i know, there are no building tools present yet - at least not as
> > advanced as in SL.
> > You need to program for everyting you want to do now in Croquet, which - for
> > me - is still a bit hard.
> > Im still trying to get better at plain squeak/smalltalk and trying to
> > understand Croquet (and its frameworks).
> > But for me - as an outsider - it is hard to see which parts (of Croquet) are
> > finished (or almost finished) and what is in the pipeline.
> >
> > I think SL is a very intresting environment, because it has an enourmous
> > userbase, which has made lots of contents.
> > SL shows very well what a group (community) of people can do - even with
> > limited tools. I say this because the building
> > tools in SL are great, but the scripting is lousy. Also, they are not doing
> > well on the scalibility of their service,
> > which are the exact points where Croquet can do great (as far as i
> > understand).
> >
> > If you wanna meetup in SL, my username is: Frunnik Herbst
> > I would like very much to exchange some more ideas and thoughts, and maybe
> > we could inspire each other.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> >   -jeroen
> >
> >
> >
> > PS: I am a software developer in Amsterdam, Holland - so we are practicly
> > neighbours already ;).
> >
> >
> >
> > "Hussayn Dabbous" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
> > news:WISCLIST-3319951-4203780-2007.01.27-08.11.16--croquet-dev%[hidden email]...
> >> Hi, all;
> >>
> >> I am a software developer (running a small IT-company in cologne/germany)
> > and
> >> recently i stumbled/jumped into the exciting world of VR. So i am
> > absolutely newbie
> >> here... After some initial "dont know where to go" i finally ended up
> > doing some
> >> first investigations on Croquet, Ogoglio and on SL. I also looked at
> > others,
> >> but at the end it was Croquet and SL which i took some time for. So in
> > short i
> >> found quite a few very interesting ongoing development in this  field.
> >>
> >> But when it comes to "business" (whatever that means) i have the strong
> > feeling
> >> that i am sitting in the dark tunnel but don't see the light at the end.
> >> Paul i just have read your contrib and i am willing to investigate in
> > finding
> >> a way out ;-)
> >>
> >> My very first idea regarding "productive usage scenarios with VR" was to
> > setup
> >> a VR based "issue tracking system" where i would install two virtual rooms
> >> one at the customers site one at my site and let do comunications threw
> > VR.
> >> I discussed this idea recently on the Croquet devlist and it was judged as
> >> feasible and doable, but i still can't get over some current limitations
> >> (which may well exists only due to my unawareness).
> >>
> >> So here are my thoughts/doubts and hopefully i can get some feedback or
> > someone
> >> would help me to start some constructive activities to get over the (my?)
> > limitations.
> >> First of all any introduction of a VR based issue tracker must be totally
> > accepted
> >> by (my/the) customers, which means a handfull of preconditions:
> >>
> >> - it must be easy to install (best would be to have a plugin for IE)
> >> - it must run seemlessly over HTTP in order to get through the firewalls
> >>    at the customers site
> >> - it must be easy to handle, best would be to fire up the app (possibly
> > login)
> >>    and arrive in your local room.
> >> - controlling of the in world navigation must be intuitive and easy...
> >> - people must feel comfortable from the first minute...
> >>
> >>  From the postings i received i understood, Croquet is on the way or even
> > has
> >> allready the infrastructure to achieve these goals (with some additional
> > programming).
> >> I haven't seen the Browser plugin, but i have been told there is one
> > (somebody can
> >> tell me where? i missed to find it ...)
> >>
> >> I currently miss a few essential things regarding comfort in Croquet,
> > e.g.:
> >> - i would like to see my avatar "well formed" i.e. adequate to the app.
> > Rabbits
> >>    are simply not an option ;-)
> >>    i know, i could fire up Poses and after some quick hacking i could get
> > my
> >>    SL Avatar running around in Croquet worlds. But IMHO the minimum
> > requirement
> >>    would be to get some easy to use avatar constructor/editor into play so
> > that
> >>    i can start off with some prototype characters and easy customization.
> >> - i would like to see an easy building editor where i can construct my
> > room
> >>    as i need it. placing walls where i want them and putting in extra
> > items
> >>    as i need them, doing some land shaping... If there are some tools
> > around,
> >>    which allow me to construct my virtual world outside of Croquet and
> > then import
> >>    it later, that would be a starting point at least. Currently i did not
> >>    even manage to create an emtpy world with the Croquet SDK (i am afraid,
> >>    i am really unaware of the basics...)
> >> - I wonder whether it may be possible to not only port Avatars from SL,
> > but also port
> >>    Landscapes (better say the static definitions of a whole room/world)
> > from SL to Croquet.
> >>    So i could go to SL, construct my room(s) there, export them and import
> > them into
> >>    Croquet. That would help me getting around quite a few reservations.
> > afaik the
> >>    datastructures needed (at least) for import into SL are open and
> > available...
> >>    So export from SL might go as well... But maybe there are far better 3D
> > construction
> >>    frameworks available, which could be used to generate VR rooms ?
> >>
> >> Of course i am currently tramping around in SL simply because it is so
> > amazingly
> >> easy to manage the user interaction stuff like building rooms, moving
> > around, etc.
> >> Ok there IS a certain amount of pleasure and fun tramping around at their
> > place too ;-)
> >> But it won't help me achieving my goals as expressed above, because SL is
> > currently
> >> a closed framework, where even the Hardware is under sole control of the
> > Linden Lab.
> >> So where will things evolve in the near/far future?
> >> - Will SL open up and allow external servers connect to their worlds
> > and/or make
> >>    their server software available (licensed or public)?
> >> - Is VR in general an option to compete with todays Web at all ?
> >> - Will Ogoglio take a role or influence development with their ideas about
> > reusing
> >>    known technologies?
> >> - Or will Croquet gain momentum and find a way into an easy to use and
> > easy to manage
> >>    VR application at the end?
> >>
> >> So where to go right now ? Keeping an Eye on Croquet is definitely an
> > option. Keeping
> >> an eye on SL? yes, i think so. Understanding what people will do NOW in
> > the public
> >> VR should allow some pragmatic predictions into future usage scenarios...
> >>
> >> But is keeping an eye on it all i could DO now? Where to go next? Maybe
> > others are on
> >> the way. I'd like to share your experiences and opinions. I want to
> > understand which
> >> next steps would be best to go. At the end finding a way out of the dark
> > would be great ;-)
> >> Sometimes i ask myself whether one day we could achieve such a level of
> > compatibility,
> >> that it becomes possible to simply step threw a Croquet portal into other
> > VR's i.e. SL.
> >> Ok, that sounds like SCIFI to me, but at the end there is OpenID and other
> > stuff already
> >> available as i learned from an interview with Ogoglio's Trevor Smith at
> >>
> >> http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/01/interview_with_.html
> >>
> >> I'd appreciate if someone could find some answers or hints for next moves.
> > Maybe we
> >> can get along the way together ;-) I even was so crazy to order an Island
> > in SL where
> >> i plan to build a developers camp (i told i'm sitting in the dark,
> > right?). So it would
> >> be at least an interesting experience to meet some of you "in world" when
> > it is ready
> >> and start planning how to flee from SL back to Croquet at the end ;-)
> >>
> >> best regards from Koeln and hope for getting some guidance/further
> > insights,
> >> guidelines, whatever...
> >> Hussayn
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

RE: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Kelly Rued-2
In reply to this post by Kaan Bingöl
My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet users in SL.
I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform projects with
communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and something
like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.

-Kelly


Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Hussayn Dabbous-2
hy there.

yes, would be interesting to make a gettogether in SL.
i too own an island there, currently setting up a developers camp and
software related trade shows and so on. Currently the island is a big mess,
much construction, lousy place to meet ;-) so lets take giulio's initiative
up and go to his place. sounds great.

It turns out to be rather unhandy that people have different names in RL and SL.
i always loose track, who is who in the game. So what about collecting an invitation
list here, where everybody drops his first name/second name ...

so i'll start it right now:

real life name              SL name
Hussayn dabbous             Hussayn Salomon
Kelly Rued                  Lotte Twilight
Giulio Prisco               Giulio Perhaps
Kaan Bingöl                 Kaan Tornado

It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting takes place...

regards, hussayn

Kelly Rued schrieb:
> My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet users in SL.
> I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform projects with
> communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and something
> like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.
>
> -Kelly
>
>


Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Giulio Prisco
I will be back in SL in a few hours and plan to create a SL Group
"altVR" (alternatives to SL, including Croquet, Multiverse etc).
I must be honest and say that I have some doubts about Croquet,
However, lets discuss in SL.
G.

On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:

> hy there.
>
> yes, would be interesting to make a gettogether in SL.
> i too own an island there, currently setting up a developers camp and
> software related trade shows and so on. Currently the island is a big mess,
> much construction, lousy place to meet ;-) so lets take giulio's initiative
> up and go to his place. sounds great.
>
> It turns out to be rather unhandy that people have different names in RL and SL.
> i always loose track, who is who in the game. So what about collecting an invitation
> list here, where everybody drops his first name/second name ...
>
> so i'll start it right now:
>
> real life name              SL name
> Hussayn dabbous             Hussayn Salomon
> Kelly Rued                  Lotte Twilight
> Giulio Prisco               Giulio Perhaps
> Kaan Bingöl                 Kaan Tornado
>
> It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting takes place...
>
> regards, hussayn
>
> Kelly Rued schrieb:
> > My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet users in SL.
> > I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform projects with
> > communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and something
> > like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.
> >
> > -Kelly
> >
> >
>
>

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Giulio Prisco
Perhaps we could organize a symposium in Second Life (which is the
only VR environment fully operational and able to support a symposium
at this moment) on the evolution of consumer Metaverse technology and
the relative merits/shortcomings of Second Life, Croquet, Multiverse,
Parisi's Flux, uni-verse etc.
Sort of a mini roadmap project done in-world.
G.

On 2/2/07, Giulio Prisco <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I will be back in SL in a few hours and plan to create a SL Group
> "altVR" (alternatives to SL, including Croquet, Multiverse etc).
> I must be honest and say that I have some doubts about Croquet,
> However, lets discuss in SL.
> G.
>
> On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:
> > hy there.
> >
> > yes, would be interesting to make a gettogether in SL.
> > i too own an island there, currently setting up a developers camp and
> > software related trade shows and so on. Currently the island is a big mess,
> > much construction, lousy place to meet ;-) so lets take giulio's initiative
> > up and go to his place. sounds great.
> >
> > It turns out to be rather unhandy that people have different names in RL and SL.
> > i always loose track, who is who in the game. So what about collecting an invitation
> > list here, where everybody drops his first name/second name ...
> >
> > so i'll start it right now:
> >
> > real life name              SL name
> > Hussayn dabbous             Hussayn Salomon
> > Kelly Rued                  Lotte Twilight
> > Giulio Prisco               Giulio Perhaps
> > Kaan Bingöl                 Kaan Tornado
> >
> > It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting takes place...
> >
> > regards, hussayn
> >
> > Kelly Rued schrieb:
> > > My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet users in SL.
> > > I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform projects with
> > > communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and something
> > > like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.
> > >
> > > -Kelly
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

deadgenome -.,.-*`*-.,.-*`*-
Hi, I'm david, - deadgenome pikajuna in SL,
I'll try to drop in when you get a meeting going,
I've got some mates who would b really interested in this, so I'll see
if I can get them to come along as well.

On 2/2/07, Giulio Prisco <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Perhaps we could organize a symposium in Second Life (which is the
> only VR environment fully operational and able to support a symposium
> at this moment) on the evolution of consumer Metaverse technology and
> the relative merits/shortcomings of Second Life, Croquet, Multiverse,
> Parisi's Flux, uni-verse etc.
> Sort of a mini roadmap project done in-world.
> G.
>
> On 2/2/07, Giulio Prisco <[hidden email]> wrote:
> > I will be back in SL in a few hours and plan to create a SL Group
> > "altVR" (alternatives to SL, including Croquet, Multiverse etc).
> > I must be honest and say that I have some doubts about Croquet,
> > However, lets discuss in SL.
> > G.
> >
> > On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:
> > > hy there.
> > >
> > > yes, would be interesting to make a gettogether in SL.
> > > i too own an island there, currently setting up a developers camp and
> > > software related trade shows and so on. Currently the island is a big mess,
> > > much construction, lousy place to meet ;-) so lets take giulio's initiative
> > > up and go to his place. sounds great.
> > >
> > > It turns out to be rather unhandy that people have different names in RL and SL.
> > > i always loose track, who is who in the game. So what about collecting an invitation
> > > list here, where everybody drops his first name/second name ...
> > >
> > > so i'll start it right now:
> > >
> > > real life name              SL name
> > > Hussayn dabbous             Hussayn Salomon
> > > Kelly Rued                  Lotte Twilight
> > > Giulio Prisco               Giulio Perhaps
> > > Kaan Bingöl                 Kaan Tornado
> > >
> > > It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting takes place...
> > >
> > > regards, hussayn
> > >
> > > Kelly Rued schrieb:
> > > > My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet users in SL.
> > > > I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform projects with
> > > > communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and something
> > > > like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.
> > > >
> > > > -Kelly
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Hussayn Dabbous-2
In reply to this post by Giulio Prisco
hi, folks;

hmm. It looks like all of us have doubts about SL, but we are running around
right now inside SL having fun, making contacts, business, doing all sorts of
unbelievable things TODAY. And i do not know about any other virtual world
right now where this is possible to such an extend as we can do there.

So rather instead of discussing alternatives to SL i prefer to discuss where
SL does fail to support us and whether Croquet can play a role there.
So i want to see a discussion about what people want eventually to achieve,
what is missing in SL to reach the goals and whether things can be improved easily.
Only then it makes sense to me to talk about how Croquet would fit in place.

So for me its all about understanding SL to make Croquet a better world.
But not looking for something "better", than SL to replace it. im still dreaming
of parallel metaverses interconnected via portals or teleport. Where SL takes
its role maybe as sotial life platform, other virtual universes e.g. based upon
Croquet or others show up as they are needed. That sounds like a vision!

Finally i dislike the idea to be member of an SL-group that thinks about how
to avoid SL. Isn't that a bit unfair? so we could meet without placing a group.
maybe eventually that makes sense. But not before it becomes clear whats up...

just my 2 cents. If you think my doubts are pointless, go ahead and create the
group. But you may rethink the name ;-)

Nevertheless id like to join the meeting .

regards, hussayn


Giulio Prisco schrieb:

> I will be back in SL in a few hours and plan to create a SL Group
> "altVR" (alternatives to SL, including Croquet, Multiverse etc).
> I must be honest and say that I have some doubts about Croquet,
> However, lets discuss in SL.
> G.
>
> On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:
>> hy there.
>>
>> yes, would be interesting to make a gettogether in SL.
>> i too own an island there, currently setting up a developers camp and
>> software related trade shows and so on. Currently the island is a big
>> mess,
>> much construction, lousy place to meet ;-) so lets take giulio's
>> initiative
>> up and go to his place. sounds great.
>>
>> It turns out to be rather unhandy that people have different names in
>> RL and SL.
>> i always loose track, who is who in the game. So what about collecting
>> an invitation
>> list here, where everybody drops his first name/second name ...
>>
>> so i'll start it right now:
>>
>> real life name              SL name
>> Hussayn dabbous             Hussayn Salomon
>> Kelly Rued                  Lotte Twilight
>> Giulio Prisco               Giulio Perhaps
>> Kaan Bingöl                 Kaan Tornado
>>
>> It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting
>> takes place...
>>
>> regards, hussayn
>>
>> Kelly Rued schrieb:
>> > My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet
>> users in SL.
>> > I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform
>> projects with
>> > communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and
>> something
>> > like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.
>> >
>> > -Kelly
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>


Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Giulio Prisco
Sounds like a vision indeed! Of course it would be difficult to
implement at this moment, but as all other IT technologies, metaverse
technology is bound to move toward interoperability.
I do not complain too much about SL, and am more optimist on its
future now that the client has been opensourced and official
statements on future opensourcing of the server have been made (by
Kapor at Davos). BTW take a look at libsecondlife and opensecondlife.
Lets decide the name of the SL group together. How about SIGmeta?
G.

On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:

> hi, folks;
>
> hmm. It looks like all of us have doubts about SL, but we are running around
> right now inside SL having fun, making contacts, business, doing all sorts of
> unbelievable things TODAY. And i do not know about any other virtual world
> right now where this is possible to such an extend as we can do there.
>
> So rather instead of discussing alternatives to SL i prefer to discuss where
> SL does fail to support us and whether Croquet can play a role there.
> So i want to see a discussion about what people want eventually to achieve,
> what is missing in SL to reach the goals and whether things can be improved easily.
> Only then it makes sense to me to talk about how Croquet would fit in place.
>
> So for me its all about understanding SL to make Croquet a better world.
> But not looking for something "better", than SL to replace it. im still dreaming
> of parallel metaverses interconnected via portals or teleport. Where SL takes
> its role maybe as sotial life platform, other virtual universes e.g. based upon
> Croquet or others show up as they are needed. That sounds like a vision!
>
> Finally i dislike the idea to be member of an SL-group that thinks about how
> to avoid SL. Isn't that a bit unfair? so we could meet without placing a group.
> maybe eventually that makes sense. But not before it becomes clear whats up...
>
> just my 2 cents. If you think my doubts are pointless, go ahead and create the
> group. But you may rethink the name ;-)
>
> Nevertheless id like to join the meeting .
>
> regards, hussayn
>
>
> Giulio Prisco schrieb:
> > I will be back in SL in a few hours and plan to create a SL Group
> > "altVR" (alternatives to SL, including Croquet, Multiverse etc).
> > I must be honest and say that I have some doubts about Croquet,
> > However, lets discuss in SL.
> > G.
> >
> > On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >> hy there.
> >>
> >> yes, would be interesting to make a gettogether in SL.
> >> i too own an island there, currently setting up a developers camp and
> >> software related trade shows and so on. Currently the island is a big
> >> mess,
> >> much construction, lousy place to meet ;-) so lets take giulio's
> >> initiative
> >> up and go to his place. sounds great.
> >>
> >> It turns out to be rather unhandy that people have different names in
> >> RL and SL.
> >> i always loose track, who is who in the game. So what about collecting
> >> an invitation
> >> list here, where everybody drops his first name/second name ...
> >>
> >> so i'll start it right now:
> >>
> >> real life name              SL name
> >> Hussayn dabbous             Hussayn Salomon
> >> Kelly Rued                  Lotte Twilight
> >> Giulio Prisco               Giulio Perhaps
> >> Kaan Bingöl                 Kaan Tornado
> >>
> >> It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting
> >> takes place...
> >>
> >> regards, hussayn
> >>
> >> Kelly Rued schrieb:
> >> > My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet
> >> users in SL.
> >> > I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform
> >> projects with
> >> > communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and
> >> something
> >> > like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.
> >> >
> >> > -Kelly
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

deadgenome -.,.-*`*-.,.-*`*-
My issue with SL is that I used 2 play online CTF in quake in '98 on
ISDN with a 4MB matrox card and find that SL is appalling in
comparison in terms of laggyness and rendering quality. I know that it
is a vast world, hi poly avatars, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I still
feel that it should be a lot better given the hardware I am running it
on, the speed of my connection and the 9 years that have passed since
my first foray into online multiplayer environments.

Croquet looks very promising and although it has some serious
deficiencies at the moment, is still heavily in beta, so I don't feel
I can judge it too harshly yet. I haven't used any of the others
(multiverse, etc.) and would be interested to know what people think
of them.

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

RE: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Kaan Bingöl
In reply to this post by Giulio Prisco
Why don't we simply use Metaverse (or MetaverseSL). Is it too broad for a group name, or is it already exist.
Kaan

-----Original Message-----
From: Giulio Prisco [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Friday, February 02, 2007 2:27 PM
To: [hidden email]; Hussayn Dabbous
Subject: Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Sounds like a vision indeed! Of course it would be difficult to
implement at this moment, but as all other IT technologies, metaverse
technology is bound to move toward interoperability.
I do not complain too much about SL, and am more optimist on its
future now that the client has been opensourced and official
statements on future opensourcing of the server have been made (by
Kapor at Davos). BTW take a look at libsecondlife and opensecondlife.
Lets decide the name of the SL group together. How about SIGmeta?
G.

On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:

> hi, folks;
>
> hmm. It looks like all of us have doubts about SL, but we are running around
> right now inside SL having fun, making contacts, business, doing all sorts of
> unbelievable things TODAY. And i do not know about any other virtual world
> right now where this is possible to such an extend as we can do there.
>
> So rather instead of discussing alternatives to SL i prefer to discuss where
> SL does fail to support us and whether Croquet can play a role there.
> So i want to see a discussion about what people want eventually to achieve,
> what is missing in SL to reach the goals and whether things can be improved easily.
> Only then it makes sense to me to talk about how Croquet would fit in place.
>
> So for me its all about understanding SL to make Croquet a better world.
> But not looking for something "better", than SL to replace it. im still dreaming
> of parallel metaverses interconnected via portals or teleport. Where SL takes
> its role maybe as sotial life platform, other virtual universes e.g. based upon
> Croquet or others show up as they are needed. That sounds like a vision!
>
> Finally i dislike the idea to be member of an SL-group that thinks about how
> to avoid SL. Isn't that a bit unfair? so we could meet without placing a group.
> maybe eventually that makes sense. But not before it becomes clear whats up...
>
> just my 2 cents. If you think my doubts are pointless, go ahead and create the
> group. But you may rethink the name ;-)
>
> Nevertheless id like to join the meeting .
>
> regards, hussayn
>
>
> Giulio Prisco schrieb:
> > I will be back in SL in a few hours and plan to create a SL Group
> > "altVR" (alternatives to SL, including Croquet, Multiverse etc).
> > I must be honest and say that I have some doubts about Croquet,
> > However, lets discuss in SL.
> > G.
> >
> > On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >> hy there.
> >>
> >> yes, would be interesting to make a gettogether in SL.
> >> i too own an island there, currently setting up a developers camp and
> >> software related trade shows and so on. Currently the island is a big
> >> mess,
> >> much construction, lousy place to meet ;-) so lets take giulio's
> >> initiative
> >> up and go to his place. sounds great.
> >>
> >> It turns out to be rather unhandy that people have different names in
> >> RL and SL.
> >> i always loose track, who is who in the game. So what about collecting
> >> an invitation
> >> list here, where everybody drops his first name/second name ...
> >>
> >> so i'll start it right now:
> >>
> >> real life name              SL name
> >> Hussayn dabbous             Hussayn Salomon
> >> Kelly Rued                  Lotte Twilight
> >> Giulio Prisco               Giulio Perhaps
> >> Kaan Bingöl                 Kaan Tornado
> >>
> >> It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting
> >> takes place...
> >>
> >> regards, hussayn
> >>
> >> Kelly Rued schrieb:
> >> > My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet
> >> users in SL.
> >> > I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform
> >> projects with
> >> > communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and
> >> something
> >> > like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.
> >> >
> >> > -Kelly
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Giulio Prisco
I am in SL now, shall we meet? I am Giulio Perhaps
G.

On 2/2/07, Kaan Bingöl <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Why don't we simply use Metaverse (or MetaverseSL). Is it too broad for a group name, or is it already exist.
> Kaan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Giulio Prisco [mailto:[hidden email]]
> Sent: Friday, February 02, 2007 2:27 PM
> To: [hidden email]; Hussayn Dabbous
> Subject: Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)
>
> Sounds like a vision indeed! Of course it would be difficult to
> implement at this moment, but as all other IT technologies, metaverse
> technology is bound to move toward interoperability.
> I do not complain too much about SL, and am more optimist on its
> future now that the client has been opensourced and official
> statements on future opensourcing of the server have been made (by
> Kapor at Davos). BTW take a look at libsecondlife and opensecondlife.
> Lets decide the name of the SL group together. How about SIGmeta?
> G.
>
> On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:
> > hi, folks;
> >
> > hmm. It looks like all of us have doubts about SL, but we are running around
> > right now inside SL having fun, making contacts, business, doing all sorts of
> > unbelievable things TODAY. And i do not know about any other virtual world
> > right now where this is possible to such an extend as we can do there.
> >
> > So rather instead of discussing alternatives to SL i prefer to discuss where
> > SL does fail to support us and whether Croquet can play a role there.
> > So i want to see a discussion about what people want eventually to achieve,
> > what is missing in SL to reach the goals and whether things can be improved easily.
> > Only then it makes sense to me to talk about how Croquet would fit in place.
> >
> > So for me its all about understanding SL to make Croquet a better world.
> > But not looking for something "better", than SL to replace it. im still dreaming
> > of parallel metaverses interconnected via portals or teleport. Where SL takes
> > its role maybe as sotial life platform, other virtual universes e.g. based upon
> > Croquet or others show up as they are needed. That sounds like a vision!
> >
> > Finally i dislike the idea to be member of an SL-group that thinks about how
> > to avoid SL. Isn't that a bit unfair? so we could meet without placing a group.
> > maybe eventually that makes sense. But not before it becomes clear whats up...
> >
> > just my 2 cents. If you think my doubts are pointless, go ahead and create the
> > group. But you may rethink the name ;-)
> >
> > Nevertheless id like to join the meeting .
> >
> > regards, hussayn
> >
> >
> > Giulio Prisco schrieb:
> > > I will be back in SL in a few hours and plan to create a SL Group
> > > "altVR" (alternatives to SL, including Croquet, Multiverse etc).
> > > I must be honest and say that I have some doubts about Croquet,
> > > However, lets discuss in SL.
> > > G.
> > >
> > > On 2/2/07, Hussayn Dabbous <[hidden email]> wrote:
> > >> hy there.
> > >>
> > >> yes, would be interesting to make a gettogether in SL.
> > >> i too own an island there, currently setting up a developers camp and
> > >> software related trade shows and so on. Currently the island is a big
> > >> mess,
> > >> much construction, lousy place to meet ;-) so lets take giulio's
> > >> initiative
> > >> up and go to his place. sounds great.
> > >>
> > >> It turns out to be rather unhandy that people have different names in
> > >> RL and SL.
> > >> i always loose track, who is who in the game. So what about collecting
> > >> an invitation
> > >> list here, where everybody drops his first name/second name ...
> > >>
> > >> so i'll start it right now:
> > >>
> > >> real life name              SL name
> > >> Hussayn dabbous             Hussayn Salomon
> > >> Kelly Rued                  Lotte Twilight
> > >> Giulio Prisco               Giulio Perhaps
> > >> Kaan Bingöl                 Kaan Tornado
> > >>
> > >> It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting
> > >> takes place...
> > >>
> > >> regards, hussayn
> > >>
> > >> Kelly Rued schrieb:
> > >> > My SL name is Lotte Twilight. I look forward to meeting Croquet
> > >> users in SL.
> > >> > I agree that forming a group in SL to look into cross-platform
> > >> projects with
> > >> > communication or some level of integrationg between Croquet and
> > >> something
> > >> > like SL which is more user friendly at the moment.
> > >> >
> > >> > -Kelly
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> >
> >
>

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

RE: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Kaan Bingöl
In reply to this post by Jeroen van Hilst
> It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting takes place...
>
> regards, hussayn


In order to summarize what has been discussed/recommended for covering in SL Croquet group, I tried to compile a list of topics from previous posts and present the group as a suggested agenda for the meeting(s).

# Communication/integration between SL and Croquet. This topic will lead to interoperability issues of virtual worlds in general. Possible actions for the group would be to discuss architectural considerations to ease such an interoperability. A bolder move would be to pilot some ideas in SL.

# Advantages and limitations of SL and other technologies such as Croquet, Multiverse, Uni-verse etc. I suggest a specific topic could be ways of enhancing SL with more P2P features. This area is where Croquet seems promising most and adresses the fact that SL has scalability problems. Another topic would be to review open source technologies for future evolution of VR.

# Future applications and directions that group members would like achieve by using alernative technologies. An open discussion to evaluate pros and cons of alternative technologies for specific application areas. One of the topics I would like to discuss under this heading is mobile access or communication for virtual worlds. For a very live example I am writing this post while I am commuting home. It would be nice to connect to SL and meet with you for a more collaborative way of preparing this list. As another example we are developing a service for sending SMS from SL to RL and eventually vice versa, to see people s reaction.

These are my picks from the posts up to now. Any contribuion and addition is most wellcome.

I look forward to see you all in SL.
Kaan

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Joshua Gargus-2
In reply to this post by deadgenome -.,.-*`*-.,.-*`*-
The biggest yadda that you didn't mention explicitly is that in Quake  
the world doesn't change in the middle of a deathmatch.  All of the  
textures and models that you need are already there.  In contrast, in  
SL, the software has no idea what sort of user-created content you  
might stumble across and therefore have to download on the fly.  
That's a really big yadda :-)

BTW, have any of the people in this discussion built the open source  
SL client?  How did that go?

Josh


On Feb 2, 2007, at 4:53 AM, deadgenome -.,.-*`*-.,.-*`*- wrote:

> My issue with SL is that I used 2 play online CTF in quake in '98 on
> ISDN with a 4MB matrox card and find that SL is appalling in
> comparison in terms of laggyness and rendering quality. I know that it
> is a vast world, hi poly avatars, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I still
> feel that it should be a lot better given the hardware I am running it
> on, the speed of my connection and the 9 years that have passed since
> my first foray into online multiplayer environments.
>
> Croquet looks very promising and although it has some serious
> deficiencies at the moment, is still heavily in beta, so I don't feel
> I can judge it too harshly yet. I haven't used any of the others
> (multiverse, etc.) and would be interested to know what people think
> of them.


Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Ric Moore
In reply to this post by deadgenome -.,.-*`*-.,.-*`*-
On Fri, 2007-02-02 at 12:53 +0000, deadgenome -.,.-*`*-.,.-*`*- wrote:

> My issue with SL is that I used 2 play online CTF in quake in '98 on
> ISDN with a 4MB matrox card and find that SL is appalling in
> comparison in terms of laggyness and rendering quality. I know that it
> is a vast world, hi poly avatars, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I still
> feel that it should be a lot better given the hardware I am running it
> on, the speed of my connection and the 9 years that have passed since
> my first foray into online multiplayer environments.
>
> Croquet looks very promising and although it has some serious
> deficiencies at the moment, is still heavily in beta, so I don't feel
> I can judge it too harshly yet. I haven't used any of the others
> (multiverse, etc.) and would be interested to know what people think
> of them.

There is a speed-up howto there that suggests turning off features that
would dumb it down enough to the level of '98 Quake and really crank up
the response time. So, I admit, I just like seeing it all and haven't
done so! Ric




--
================================================
My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
"There are two Great Sins in the world...
..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
Linux user# 44256 Sign up at: http://counter.li.org/
http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/oar
http://www.wayward4now.net
================================================



Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Kyle Hamilton
In reply to this post by Joshua Gargus-2
I have built the open-source SL client on a MacBook Pro, following the
instructions to the letter.  It worked flawlessly.

-Kyle H

(also: my SL name is Hunting Hare.)

On 2/2/07, Joshua Gargus <[hidden email]> wrote:

> The biggest yadda that you didn't mention explicitly is that in Quake
> the world doesn't change in the middle of a deathmatch.  All of the
> textures and models that you need are already there.  In contrast, in
> SL, the software has no idea what sort of user-created content you
> might stumble across and therefore have to download on the fly.
> That's a really big yadda :-)
>
> BTW, have any of the people in this discussion built the open source
> SL client?  How did that go?
>
> Josh
>
>
> On Feb 2, 2007, at 4:53 AM, deadgenome -.,.-*`*-.,.-*`*- wrote:
>
> > My issue with SL is that I used 2 play online CTF in quake in '98 on
> > ISDN with a 4MB matrox card and find that SL is appalling in
> > comparison in terms of laggyness and rendering quality. I know that it
> > is a vast world, hi poly avatars, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I still
> > feel that it should be a lot better given the hardware I am running it
> > on, the speed of my connection and the 9 years that have passed since
> > my first foray into online multiplayer environments.
> >
> > Croquet looks very promising and although it has some serious
> > deficiencies at the moment, is still heavily in beta, so I don't feel
> > I can judge it too harshly yet. I haven't used any of the others
> > (multiverse, etc.) and would be interested to know what people think
> > of them.
>
>


--

-Kyle H

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Shack Dougall
In reply to this post by Kaan Bingöl
I'm definitely interested in participating in discussions surrounding
Croquet, SL, Multiverse, etc, but even after spending 2 years in SL on a
daily basis, I don't find it to be a very compelling medium for
intellectual discussion.   Forums, newsgroups, mailing lists, email, and
blogs work much better for me when it comes to thoughtful interaction.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see any compelling value in
everyone piling into SL to have a "face-to-face" discussion in chat.  
That is, unless someone has something to demonstrate or a prepared
presentation.

Just curious about other people's experiences with meetings inside SL or
similar environments.

--Shack

Kaan Bingöl wrote:
>> It would be nice if there where an agenda around before the meeting takes place...
>>
>> regards, hussayn
>>    
>  It would be nice to connect to SL and meet with you for a more collaborative way of preparing this list.
>  
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

RE: Croquet vs. Secondlife regarding future development (some thoughts to share...)

Kelly Rued-2
In reply to this post by Giulio Prisco
> im
> > still dreaming of parallel metaverses interconnected via portals or
> > teleport. Where SL takes its role maybe as sotial life platform,
> > other virtual universes e.g. based upon Croquet or others show up as
they are needed. That sounds like a vision!
> >
> > Finally i dislike the idea to be member of an SL-group that thinks
> > about how to avoid SL. Isn't that a bit unfair? so we could meet without
placing a group.
> > maybe eventually that makes sense. But not before it becomes clear whats
up...

FWIW, I agree that the "big dream" of the metaverse is actually a web of
platforms with sensible, fluid portals between them so that content is
interconnected in useful ways. I doubt it is a matter of inventing one uber
platform to rule them all. Despite the many obvious flaws in Second Life,
Linden Lab has accomplished many great things with the Second Life platform
and their virtual world is currently at the frontlines of turning virtual
spaces into usable,practical everyday tools for people who aren't developers
or academics. The P2P architecture of Croquet makes it supremely attractive
to me as a developer and I would cite SL's direction toward open clients and
open servers as a stop-gap sort of solution to what needs to be genuinely
p2p to support the "big dream" that many people have for the multiverse.

So I'm not looking to avoid Second Life (I own a big chunk of mainland but
have no plans for an island until they open that up too and I can just set
it up on my servers). I just hope to bridge my SL-based content to other
platforms, especially something p2p like Croquet, so that I can inch closer
to the kinds of entertainment applications I want to be designing and
deploying.

Our SL group should acknowledge SL's leadership in this metaverse space but
should seek to extend beyond the boundaries inherent with SL. Some things
that Croquet may do better than SL:

-p2p world management decentralizes power, resources, and opportunities
better than any model that requires expensive remote servers (even if the
servers become/are "open source")

-higher quality avatar art and the ability to import 3D assets from
professional tools, more control over art import/export in general

-privacy: no central organization owns your chat logs

-access: totally free sdk (no need to sign up or create an account with a
controlling organization), no central TOS that can ban your account from the
entire metaverse system for any reason/no reason at all

-distributed ownership of users: each publisher of a world could easily
require a sign up or verification per application just as most users have to
create an account per web application rather than one big account for "the
internet" where none of the individual sites had access to the account info
held at "the internet db of users" which is the current system for
applications developed within SL (also for commercial apps "owning the
customer data" is very important so that you can do many important things,
such as ensuring due diligence in age verification or dealing effectively
with griefers)

-liberation from corporate whims: companies decide to break things or drop
backwards-compatibility goals whenever they feel like it. SL is obviously
not the only platform (or even the most notable) to do this but considering
that most SL developers are not making anything close to a profit from their
SL development... It's a ridiculous financial burden to have to fix things
when you were developing at a loss to begin with. Hopefully Croquet *in
future versions* will always maintain reasonable measures to run legacy
croquet code and to give advance warning/notice when something is going to
be depracated rather than having developers login and find a bunch of Ims
from customers saying "x doesn't work anymore" and having to drop everything
to rush in a fix. In general I hope that Croquet's birth as this open
developer-centric platform means that external devs are treated well and not
just as disposable value-adders for the central Croquet software.

Heh, you can tell from my final item that I think the main flaw with SL is
actually not one of architecture but of business policy. The developers and
content creators who make SL viable for end users are treated very shoddily
by SL decision-makers, imo (SL shipped as a fancy chat room, and what little
Linden content there is, it's not nearly as engaging as the user content).
Croquet is truly based on open development practices and I've been able to
watch a community working on the software, just as I have with other open
projects I follow like TikiWiki. That is the main reason why I think
developers should be looking at bridging SL to Croquet because Croquet might
give developers more opportunities to extend the platform and profit from
their contributions (by profit, I mean "pay people for their time so they
can make more stuff" because SL is a charity case for devs right now). And
for players, obviously they are going to benefit from a p2p world where they
can create their own island instead of paying insane set up fees and a
monthly rent that rivals most family's utility and grocery bills. It will
also be nice to have builds limited only by PC resources than arbitrarily
limited by "prim count" tied to blocks of virtual real estate. ;)

-Kelly


12