RE: [www-vrml] Tim BL Is Baffled, Too

["Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <len.bullard@intergraph.com>]

From: Clayton Cottingham [mailto:drfrog@telus.net]

>so does saying that microsoft is THE answer

Didn't say that.  I recognize that 90% of the world's 
browsers and an equal number of desktops are MS.  That 
is the biggest market.  Not recognizing that is like 
not recognizing most of the grass on the lawn is green. 

>That .net will save x3d

Didn't say that.  Do recognize that 90% or the world's 
desktops will be running .net software sooner rather 
than later.  For any XML application, there is a lot 
of very functional support there particularly if one 
wants to use middleware to servers.  Not all X3D apps 
do or need to, for sure.

>This  attitude that this doesn't concern X3d  that this is navel gazing is
>erroneous

What should concern X3D is lots of worlds running on lots and lots of 
desktops.  URIs == Energy on the web.

>These things have never been properly addressed

>Things like marketing and promotion of web3d have never been organized, the
>monies arent there....which means the market isnt there or ready

Chicken and egg, or really, bootstrap.  VRML had a helluva an opening 
night some years ago, but it didn't keep butts in seats and that is 
when the show closes.   Some companies spent an awful lot of money 
for that opening night.   The market was ceded to Flash.  It was there.

>Microsoft make some great products

>But they are not, and never will be the be all and end all of computing

Didn't say that.   They are 90% of the seats.   If someone implements 
X3D for Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc., that gets one more row filled 
in a 100 seat auditorium.

The cluetrain manifesto claims markets are conversations.  Ok, but the 
VRML conversation has been among a very small clique for far too long. 
Maybe markets are also about opening up to a much larger gate.  It 
would be nice if a 3D world played to a stadium instead of a tailgate party.

len


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