From: Human Int. Technology Lab Subject: The harsh light of reality: the industry is static. Date: Tue, 27 Aug 91 19:00:09 -0700 Greg Alt asks, "What happened to the technical side of VR?" (in this newsgroup). I think the problem is more profound and has to do with lassitude in our "industry." Item: There has been a lot of controvery and hard feelings in the Silicon Valley community as a result of patent claims and legal attacks on vendors by other vendors. The suppressing effects on innovation of rabid competi- tion and,in light of the undeveloped market, premature attempts at "monopolizing" technology are starting to be felt beyond the Valley, among the researchers who use Valley products for their own VR experiments. Item: In Japan, our colleagues in the universities and MITI laboratories are underfunded and without substantial corporate support. Some in North America and Europe would like to fantasize that there is a huge Japanese effort underway. Hope lives eternal in the human heart, but the truth is that our Japanese colleagues are as hard up as we are. Item: Speaking with the research director of one of the U.S.'s preeminent corporate laboratories, who has made his reputation speaking about the use of cutting edge technology to change the way work is managed, I was told, "We're not interested in developing new technology. Go ahead and build your virtual reality system. For all I care, do it with the Japanese. Then, when it works, we'll build our own copy." All of which goes to say, Greg, that one reason you're not hearing about technical breakthroughs is because genuine breakthroughs are hard to produce in the face of undersupport, premature monopolization, and general apathy among the industrialists who must energize our work. These are my opinions. I look forward to a spirited exchange on a matter of vital interest to all of us, now and in the future. Bob Jacobson Moderator