RE: Beyond The Beyond

James Rogers (jamesr@best.com)
Mon, 09 Dec 1996 16:42:16 -0800


At 05:38 PM 12/9/96 -0600, you wrote:
>
>>>great idea! the time frame for somthing like this is probably a couple, or
>>>so, years out.
>>>it always takes time for the appropriate tech to filter down to the end
>>>users, but that is
>>>good. it gives us time.
>
>>I disagree. The timeframe, depending on individual involvement, is
>>something more around a year. And the appropriate technologies are
>>currently available. Most of these technologies *are* considered bleeding
>>edge, but that should really be an incentive more than anything. IF we were
>>the first people to successfully mature and develop these technologies, it
>>would not only generate a lot of media coverage, but it could be very
>>profitable as well. It would be extremely likely that other companies would
>>want us to use our techniques and technologies to develop worlds for them.
>>This is the way things usually work in the Valley, at least.
>
>i was thinking about the average PC in the average household having the
capability. sure, early adopters
>could hop on this quickly.

Are you referencing user technology or development technology? The
development technology is accessible now, although I agree that the average
PC owner may not have the required technology or bandwidth to use the
environment effectively once it is developed. Downloading the finished
environment would probably be a somewhat lengthy task, especially over
modem, and interactivity might be somewhat taxed by bandwidth issues. Once
the environment is fully loaded, however, it is possible to operate much of
the environment via a 28.8k modem.

An alternative to this would be to periodically distribute a CD-ROM that
contained much of the static content of the World. Then the user would only
have to download the portions that are dynamic or have changed. Ultimately
bandwidth will be the most significant factor. But until everyone has
ISDN/ADSL/Cable connections, we'll have to make do with what we have.

One thing that I envision is having a coffee shop or something with a bunch
of terminals with 10Mbit or 100Mbit access to one of the World servers.
Setup dedicated communication channels between World server hubs via the
Internet. This would allow people to have fast, real-time access to the
world via centralized access. A smart, well-designed architecture would
allow the possibility of building a very large distributed world, but
without massive bandwidth requirements. Admittedly though, modem
connections would suck no matter which way you cut it.

No one said it would be easy, but I definitely think a viable solution is
possible.

-James Rogers
jamesr@best.com