From: Harry Fearnhamm Subject: Re: Computerized Reality: Better than VR Date: Thu, 18 Jul 91 18:39:13 BST From: sharp@cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Maurice Sharp): I do not see the utility of a VR that is so close to reality that for all practicle purposes it is one. That is, why should I bother using compute time to jot down notes on a virtual piece of paper when I could jot them down on the real thing ? Will I be able to find that little bit of information any easier ? Perhaps, perhaps not. And then again the virtual piece of paper will kill no trees, will not need a separate OCR device to convert into some other textual representation, will be parseable as a source of commands for the same reason.... There are many benefits for doing something which not only needs no new learning, but which also is more or less instantly changeable into something else, because it will only exist as a sequence of bytes somewhere. If we imagine a virtual control console, it is quite obvious that this can be upgraded (more inputs, more processors, more outputs) with very little physical effort (I mean the `copying', not the software development), possibly being downloaded from the distributing company. Having said that, I for one would be most disappointed if no one bothered to try out new ways of interacting with information.... -- Harry Fearnhamm, ,---.'\ EMAIL: loki@harlqn.co.uk Harlequin Ltd, (, /@ )/ ...!ukc!cam-cl!harlqn!loki Barrington Hall, /( _/ ') VOX: +44 (0)223 872522 Barrington, \,`---' FAX: +44 (0)223 872519 Cambridgeshire, DISCLAIMER: Nothing is True. ENGLAND. Everything is Permitted.