peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) (11/17/89)
[This is a repost of article <7013@ficc.uu.net>. I'm reposting it because there is a forgery out there with that article ID.] This should definitely be a 'comp' group. comp.cyberspace? comp.interfaces? comp.interfaces.cyberspace -- `-_-' Peter da Silva <peter@ficc.uu.net> <peter@sugar.hackercorp.com>. 'U` -------------- +1 713 274 5180. "vi is bad because it didn't work after I put jelly in my keyboard." -- Jeffrey W Percival (jwp@larry.sal.wisc.edu)
davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.COM (Wm E Davidsen Jr) (11/20/89)
In article <7025@ficc.uu.net> peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes: | comp.cyberspace? | comp.interfaces? | comp.interfaces.cyberspace (a) I agree that the name should be comp.SOMETHING, and I have no preference. I will note that the more generic term "useragents" for man to machine interfaces might be useful here. (b) I would like to see a delayed call for votes until I have a chance to see what the traffic in alt.cyberspace is. This makes me more convinced that we need a "D news" with another data organization. I would be delighted to see comp.mail.mush and comp.useragents.mush both map to the same articles, since either is a valid way of thinking about the subject. This is not a denunciation of what we have, just a suggestion that the answer to the question "which name is best" might be "several." I invite technical comments on implementation details and rational comments on human interface issue, will having several names (cross index if you like) help people find the correct group or confuse users? -- bill davidsen (davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM -or- uunet!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen) "The world is filled with fools. They blindly follow their so-called 'reason' in the face of the church and common sense. Any fool can see that the world is flat!" - anon
bluefire@well.UUCP (Bob Jacobson) (11/21/89)
Why should this be a comp. newsgroup? What about virtual worlds generated in the acoustic realm, for which computation is a necessary but subordinate issue? Or what about the psychological implications of virtual experience?
davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.COM (Wm E Davidsen Jr) (11/22/89)
Quick, Greg, call for a vote on the 2/3 majority. Now everybody wants to be in sci. This group may be appropriate (I haven't seen a real discussion of the content) but I think the time has come for new guidelines. My first reaction on the group is "see what the traffic is in the alt group." That will give an indication of interest. -- bill davidsen (davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM -or- uunet!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen) "The world is filled with fools. They blindly follow their so-called 'reason' in the face of the church and common sense. Any fool can see that the world is flat!" - anon
prf@otter.hpl.hp.com (Paul Freeman) (11/23/89)
I concur with Mr Jacobson. SCI would be preferable as the requirement is for a cross-disciplinary discussion.
bluefire@well.UUCP (Bob Jacobson) (11/25/89)
I would also like to point out that while alt.cyberspace is a
courageous attempt to break new ground on Usenet, there are
several researchers known to me who will not frequent alt.
conferences regardless of their content. This may be small-
minded of them, but if we are to get the sort of hh-quality
exchange, with nothing left out, that most users appear to
want, alt. may not cut it.
Okay, enough from me. More from you!
--
BOB JACOBSON, Associate Director, Human Interface Technology Laboratory
University of Washington (FU-20), Seattle, WA 98195 USA
(206) 543-5075 (voice), 543-5380 (fax) * bluefire@well.uucp
>> "We can do virtually anything." <<tale@pawl.rpi.edu (David C Lawrence) (11/25/89)
In <14720@well.UUCP> bluefire@well.UUCP (Bob Jacobson) writes:
Bob> I would also like to point out that while alt.cyberspace is a
Bob> courageous attempt to break new ground on Usenet, there are
Courageous?
Bob> several researchers known to me who will not frequent alt.
Bob> conferences regardless of their content. This may be small-
Bob> minded of them, [...]
It is very small-minded of them. Should we pander to such pettiness?
Dave
--
(setq mail '("tale@pawl.rpi.edu" "tale@ai.mit.edu" "tale@rpitsmts.bitnet"))csu@alembic.acs.com (Dave Mack) (11/26/89)
In article <14720@well.UUCP> bluefire@well.UUCP (Bob Jacobson) writes: > >Okay, enough from me. More from you! > >-- >BOB JACOBSON, Associate Director, Human Interface Technology Laboratory > University of Washington (FU-20), Seattle, WA 98195 USA > (206) 543-5075 (voice), 543-5380 (fax) * bluefire@well.uucp > >> "We can do virtually anything." << First, let me say that I support the group, and given its interdisciplinary nature, sci seems like the best place for it. However... It bothers me that both Jacobson and Rheingold are posting from the Well. It's not like UofW isn't on the Internet. Doesn't HITL have any computers? Part of what makes this proposed group more than just an attempt to move alt.cyberspace into the central hierarchies is the cachet that comes from having it proposed by people who are actually doing research into virtual reality as a serious scientific endeavor. The fact that the two principle proponents of the group don't post through washington.edu makes me wonder if we aren't being spoofed just a bit. Yours for a more paranoid tomorrow, Dave Mack
craig@com2serv.C2S.MN.ORG (Craig S. Wilson) (11/26/89)
In article <14720@well.UUCP> bluefire@well.UUCP (Bob Jacobson) writes: >I would also like to point out that while alt.cyberspace is a >courageous attempt to break new ground on Usenet, there are >several researchers known to me who will not frequent alt. >conferences regardless of their content. This may be small- >minded of them, but if we are to get the sort of hh-quality >exchange, with nothing left out, that most users appear to >want, alt. may not cut it. >-- >BOB JACOBSON, Associate Director, Human Interface Technology Laboratory I agree that in order for the discussion to "get serious", it will have to be promoted out of the alt.* dungeon. I think that it is too bad that more people don't take advantage of the freedom that alt.* offers. Not reading anything in alt.* because of some of the groups that live there is like not reading any of the funnies because you don't like _Garfield_. /craig Craig S. Wilson | Democracy |{amdahl|hpda}!bungia!com50!craig Com Squared Systems, Inc | is not a |craig@c2s.mn.org 2520 Pilot Knob Road | spectator |(612) 452-9522 voice Mendota Heights MN 55120 | sport. |(612) 452-3607 fax
csu@alembic.acs.com (Dave Mack) (11/27/89)
In article <1989Nov25.195904.8008@alembic.acs.com> I wrote: >It bothers me that both Jacobson and Rheingold are posting from the Well. >It's not like UofW isn't on the Internet. Doesn't HITL have any computers? > >Part of what makes this proposed group more than just an attempt to >move alt.cyberspace into the central hierarchies is the cachet that >comes from having it proposed by people who are actually doing research >into virtual reality as a serious scientific endeavor. > >The fact that the two principle proponents of the group don't post >through washington.edu makes me wonder if we aren't being spoofed >just a bit. I received several bits of e-mail explaining the situation, including the following from Bob Jacobson, excerted with his permission: Dave, Howard Rheingold and I are coming through The WELL to post our messages regarding the proposed newsgroup, sci.virtual-worlds, for two reasons. First, we have been communicating via The WELL about the topics at hand for over two years. The community of thinkers with whom we most often discourse is The WELL community, and it is simply more convenient to do our normal WELL messaging and then go to Usenet, rather than to log off The WELL, log onto the UW machine, invoke rn, and do Usenet there. Second, my home computer, an Eagle, is totally incompatible with the UW Unix machines and no one can figure out how to make it work well. I am totally unable to do any editing via the UW machines. This situation will shortly be rectified by my purchase of a Mac SE, for which a readily available interface exists. You may start seeing me as cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu at that time. Until then, I prefer to use The WELL, which is not only compatible but which offers superb editing tools that are not available via the Unix machines. If and when we have permission to start the new newsgroup, Howard and I will both be transferring to the Internet through UW, whose administrator has given us permission to host the sci.virtual- worlds conference from Milton (a hyperfast Vax). [...] Explanation enough? We're not joshing the Usenet community. We do want to get sci.virtual-worlds up and running. And we want to do it responsibly and well. That's good enough for me, people. My apologies to any and all who thought my comments were a slur on the integrity of the proposers of sci.virtual-worlds. -- Dave Mack