From: Antoni Diller <A.R.Diller@cs.bham.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Short VR definition
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 1991 15:39:19 GMT
Organization: Birmingham University Computer Science


In article <1991Aug29.043345.17584@milton.u.washington.edu> resst11@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Ryk E Spoor) writes:
>
>
>        Here we go, my definition:
>
>        Virtual Realities: a world that is NOT the real one (i.e., not the one
>in which your body resides) that you can interact with (i.e., your actions can
>change that world).

Given that definition how do you work out which is the real world?
And for your definition to work you need to be able to give a definition
of `world' which includes both the real one and virtual ones...there's
probably a fancy latin phrase describing this sort of definition.

Personally, I think that there's little point trying to define VR.
I know what an oak is but I cannot give a definition of it
and I know what an elephant is (I can individuate elephants from
their background and re-identify them) but I cannot define an elephant;
so, I guess most of us know VR when we meet it; the definition seems
superfluous.

Antoni Diller
A.R.Diller@cs.bham.ac.uk