[comp.object] New Window System Design

thinman@netcom.COM (Lance Norskog) (04/24/91)

I'm designing a window system that handles real-time 3D, sound, and
network interaction.  It's called 5D, for 3D visuals plus time plus
other sensory interaction.

It's something like NeWS or Display Postscript but with a dataflow
language described with a static Smalltalk-ish object-oriented
classification system.

To get a hint of what 5D is about, read the article on Xerox Parc's
Information Visualizer window system in the February 1991 Byte
Magazine.  5D would be an excellent base for writing InfoVis.

5D, or something like it, should be the basis for desktop windowing in
the 90's.

I've posted it on sci.virtual-worlds, since it is of immediate interest
there and also because sci.v-w is archived.  I have nroff'd copies
on-line here and can mail them out.  Four pieces total 80K of ascii in
50+ pages.  Included: ranting and raving, a language spec, notes on an
implementation, notes on a completely visual programming editor,
specifications for the primitive (built-in) classes, and some sample
programs.


Lance Norskog
thinman@netcom.com