Re: Visual navigation possibilities with GopherVR for Macintosh and Unix
Steve Foster <foster@cs.unr.edu> Tue, 04 April 1995 17:10 UTC
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From: Steve Foster <foster@cs.unr.edu>
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Subject: Re: Visual navigation possibilities with GopherVR for Macintosh and Unix
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On Apr 3, 2:52am, Jill Foster wrote: } Subject: Visual navigation possibilities with GopherVR for Macintosh and U } From nir-request@mailbase.ac.uk Sun Apr 2 19:47:22 1995 } Subject: Visual navigation possibilities with GopherVR for Macintosh and Unix } X-List: nir@mailbase.ac.uk } } I know many of you have moved to WWW - but gopher and WWW keep } leap-frogging each other. This announcement of GopherVR for Macintosh and } Unix *enables* possibilities for visual navigation through the information } space. There was a guy from BT at last year's user support workshop that } talked about the BT (British Telecom for the non-UK members) research } dept's work on visual navigation as an alternative method of displaying } relationships between information. } } Sorry for the cross-posting - just trying to get some discussion going } here. Anyone on these (quiet :-( ) lists working in this sort of area? } Would be good to see some examples of what is possible. } } -- Jill Jill et al - I have been working on a first version of "veronica for GopherVR" this weekend. First alpha-minus demo may be running by end of the week. - Steven Foster } } >Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 18:11:12 -0600 } >From: The Gopher Team <gopher@boombox.micro.umn.edu> } >To: gopher-announce@boombox.micro.umn.edu } >Subject: GopherVR for Macintosh and Unix } > } >Announcing alpha-test releases } >of Internet GopherVR for Macintosh and Unix } > } > } >Announcing GopherVR } >------------------- } >At GopherCON '94 we talked about using 3D scenes as a user } >interface metaphor for navigating the Internet and visualizing } >relationships and clustering of documents. Early (alpha test) } >releases of Macintosh and Unix Gopher clients that display 3D } >scenes are now available via gopher and anonymous ftp from } >boombox.micro.umn.edu. } > } >Although not yet complete, in this release you can browse gopher } >directories by driving around Gopherspace, navigate between gopher } >servers by driving through a series of 3D scenes, open items by } >clicking on them, get overviews of the neighborhood you are in, } >and view meta-information about items. } > } >Because this is an alpha-test release, we are still working on } >the software and will be doing frequent bugfix releases. Use it } >at your own risk, and please send us bug reports and comments. } >We are doing an early release of this software because we have } >found this to be the best way of quickly shaking out bugs and } >feature sets. } > } >To keep up to date on the bugfix releases of GopherVR, subscribe } >to gopher-news by e-mailing a subscribe request to: } > gopher-news-request@boombox.micro.umn.edu } >Major new releases are announced on gopher-announce. Subscribe } >by sending e-mail to: } > gopher-announce-request@boombox.micro.umn.edu } > } > } >Why a 3D user interface to Gopher? } >---------------------------------- } >Gopher has an explicit organization and structure which is } >external to the content of the documents, so it is straightforward } >to map a 3D virtual world interface onto the existing gopher } >servers. Since the Gopher+ protocol also has provisions for open } >ended extensions and meta-information that resides external to the } >content of documents, it is also easy for servers to give 3D-savvy } >clients the 3D spatial coordinates and orientation of objects in a } >gopher directory. This means that we can both synthesize 3D scenes } >from existing non-3D-savvy Gopher servers, and take advanatge of } >new 3D-savvy servers without reworking the contents of the } >documents published in Gopher. } > } >Virtual world interfaces give us a powerful data visualization } >tool. GopherVR makes it possible to display clustering of documents } >which is not feasible on either a menu or a flat page. Combining } >GopherVR with servers that catagorize and cluster collections of } >documents will make it possible to visualize complex retationships } >within collections. To be effective, moving about the 3D scene must } >be fast and fluid, and GopherVR has been optimized for quick } >navigationn within the scene without hardware Z-buffer. } > } > } >What comes after this release? } >------------------------------ } >With later versions of this software you will be able to define } >3D icons for objects in Gopherspace, and server administrators } >will be able to specify placement of objects in 3D scenes. } >In addition, there will be more user navigation features for } >browsing within the 3D scenes. } > } > } >Macintosh } >--------- } >TurboGopherVR 2.1a1 is a sneak-preview (alpha-test) release } >of an Internet Gopher client that combines a point and click } >browser interface to the Internet with a 3D virtual-world } >interface. Essentially, this is a superset of the current } >release version of TurboGopher (version 2.0) with 3D } >extensions. } > } >TurboGopherVR 2.1a1 requires a PowerPC Macintosh running } >System 7 or better. System 7.5.1 is reccommended since this } >version of the system software includes a much improved } >floating point math library. A version for 68K Macs is also } >under construction but is not yet available. } > } >To get the software, gopher to boombox.micro.umn.edu and follow } >the path /gopher/Macintosh-TurboGopher/TurboGopherVR. This } >brings you to the directory holding the current version of the } >software. } > } >You can also use these URLs to get to the same directory: } > <URL:GOPHER://boombox.micro.umn.edu/11/gopher/Macintosh- } > TurboGopher/TurboGopherVR> } > } > <URL:FTP://boombox.micro.umn.edu/pub/gopher/Macintosh- } > TurboGopher/TurboGopherVR/> } > } > } >Unix } >--------- } >GopherVR 0.1 is an alpha-test release of an X-window Gopher client. } >GopherVR for Unix is curently available for SUN Sparc, SGI, and } >IBM AIX RS-6000 platforms. At this time, only binaries are available } >since we expect frequent changes to the source. To run the software, } >you will need a color monitor. We have tested the software on } > } >SUN SunOS 4.1.3 with MIT X11R5 distribution } >SGI IRIX 5.3 with SGI's X-windows distribution } >IBM AIX 3.2.5 with IBM's X-windows distribution } > } >To get the software, gopher to boombox.micro.umn.edu and follow } >the path /gopher/Unix/GopherVR. This brings you to the directory } >holding the current version of the software. } > } >You can also use these URLs to get to the same directory: } > <URL:GOPHER://boombox.micro.umn.edu/11/gopher/Unix/GopherVR> } > } > <URL:FTP://boombox.micro.umn.edu/pub/gopher/Unix/GopherVR/> } > } >GopherVR binaries will be available for HP-UX and DEC OSF soon. } > } > } >NOTE } >---- } >This is an alpha test release. We wouldn't reccomend } >distributing this to every user in your organization yet, since } > } > 1.) There are a lot more features that will be added in } > the near future } > } > 2.) There are certainly going to be bugs. } > } >If you find a bug, please report it to us by sending an e-mail } >decribing your computer, the version of the operating system and } >how you caused the bug to occur. If you have ideas for features we'd } >love to hear about it. Send your bug reports and comments to: } > } > <gopher@boombox.micro.umn.edu>. } > } > } > Internet Gopher Team / mongoose & iguana squad } > TurboGopherVR 2.1.a1 } > Unix GopherVR 0.1 } > March 30, 1995 } > } > See you at GopherCON '95 ! } > For information on GopherCON '95 see: } > <URL:GOPHER://boombox.micro.umn.edu:70/11/gopher/Gopher_Conference_95> } > } > } > } > } > } > } >. } } } }-- End of excerpt from Jill Foster