Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!ogicse!milton!jwtlai@watcgl.waterloo.edu
From: jwtlai@watcgl.waterloo.edu (Jim W Lai)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: Toward a Typology/Topology of Virtual Worlds
Message-ID: <11645@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 25 Nov 90 04:43:23 GMT
References: <11583@milton.u.washington.edu> <1990Nov25.040525.22232@watserv1.wat
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Organization: Computer Graphics Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Can
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In article <1990Nov25.040525.22232@watserv1.waterloo.edu>
broehl@watserv1.waterloo.edu (Bernie Roehl) writes:
>The virtual world that we're sharing right now (i.e. the one in which
>this discussion is taking place) is characterized by being text-based
>and non-synchronous (i.e. people post at random times in a random
>sequence, and the order of arrival of articles can vary from site to
>site).

I prefer the term "asynchronous" to "non-synchronous".

>
>The particular flavor of VR that we often discuss in this newsgroup is
>visual and synchronous.
>
>MUDs are text-based and synchronous/asynchronous (i.e. people can interact
>in "real time", but can also leave each other virtual notes and in other
>ways modify the virtual environment in a way that affects other people at
>a later point in time).

I propose the attributes of "persistence" and "transience".  A VR is
persistent is it has a "history" that can be accessed from within the VR.
Usenet news and MUDs are persistent, but IRC and party-lines are transient.
One can add noninteractive, asynchronous persistence to IRC and party-lines
by means of text-logging and tape-recorders.