Re: [OpenVerse] Speech and other sounds

[Jon Winters <winters@obscurasite.com>]

Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: openverse@openverse.org
Reply-To: openverse@openverse.org


What if all the sounds were done via a plugin?  I don't even have a sound
card and I doubt I would use sounds in OV even if I did.  As it is now I
have the 'beep' disabled.

My wife tolerates the time I spend on the computer.  I installed IBM
VoiceType dictation once on top of OS/2 and she threatened divorce!

"I don't mind you spending time on the computer, but you're not going to
start talking to it."

Should sound be the top priority?  When I read Snow Crash I liked the idea
of the Metaverse being a 3D model.  Should we give some thought to a
freeze of the current OpenVerse and start gearing up for a 3D version that
is more true to the concept?

/. had a story recently on a very early pre-alpha version of a 3D
windowmanager.  Might be worthwile to join their developer mailing list
and pay attention to how things are taking shape.  

I imagine the future where everyone has a 3D windowmanager and a OpenVerse
like application has replaced the web browser. 

The desktop becomes the OpenVerse.  The new graphics cards coming out
today can handle the overhead of a 3D shell.  Why has everyone but the
gamers remained in the Window Icon Mouse Pointer (WIMP) paradigm?  

Add too many cheesey features to OpenVerse and its going to start looking
more like Microsoft "Bob" than the Metaverse.  (remember MS "Bob"?!?) :-)

Just in case you have forgotten... (and I apologize for the formatting)

<snip>
Microsoft Bob idea comes back to life as 'push technology' 

By L.A. LOREK Sun-Sentinel Columnist       
Web-posted: 1:42 a.m. Jan. 11, 1998

It's been three years since Bill Gates, the Microsoft visionary,
introduced a software program called Microsoft Bob at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
      Microsoft named the program Bob because it sounded simple and
friendly. Gates demonstrated how easy computing could be with a friendly
program like Bob.
      I remember thinking Bob looked like Mr. Roger's neighborhood for the
beginning computer user.
      The program used images of rooms in a home and colorful,
cartoon-like characters -- like Java, the caffeine-crazed dragon -- to
guide users through basic computer tasks such scheduling family
appointments and creating newsletters.
      Bob consisted of eight programs: a letter writer, a calendar,
checkbook, household manager, address book, e-mail, financial guide and
GeoSafari, a quiz game.
      Microsoft Bob flopped big time.  
</snip>

Thanks for your time and feedback!

--
Jon Winters http://www.openverse.org/



----------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe to the OpenVerse mailing list send a message to
openverse-request with the following word in the BODY of the message.
UNSUBSCRIBE
If you need assistance from a human, email cruise@openverse.org
----------------------------------------------------------