Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!usc!apple!well!bluefire
From: bluefire@well.UUCP (Bob Jacobson)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: CALL FOR DISCUSSION:  SCI.VIRTUAL-WORLDS
Message-ID: <14642@well.UUCP>
Date: 20 Nov 89 05:55:03 GMT
References: <14547-repost@well.UUCP> <1989Nov16.161429.12549@talos.uucp>
Reply-To: bluefire@well.UUCP (Bob Jacobson)
Organization: Human Interface Technology Lab, Univ. of Wash.
Lines: 27


Perhaps it is parochial of us, but we in the virtual-worlds business
like to call it what it is, and it is not simply more of the same
interface development.  Nor is it limited to activities of computer
jocks:  many of the people working in this field are out of the
medical, architectural, acoustic, psychology, and education disciplines.
Whether or not the newsgroup is formed -- and I certainly hope it
is -- the term "virtual worlds" is how our colleagues and we at the
HIT Lab continue to refer to our research interest.

I appreciate the recommendation regarding creation of a mailing list,
but mailing lists are notoriously under-representative of the Usenet
members who are interested in a topic (since many never come to know
of the mailing list).  Also, mailing lists allow a very constricted
discourse.  We have not pursued this course of action and hope we do
not have to.

Thank you, Kyle, for your thoughtful remarks.  I, for one, will not
ignore them as we continue this discussion on whether a sci.virtual-
worlds newsgroup is a good idea.

If you know of others who might wish to participate in this discussion,
please let them know of its existence.  Because the Call for Discussion
was ONLY posted to news.announce.newgroups, there is only limited
awareness of it.  We'll try to rectify that situation.  Thanks.

-- Bob Jacobson