Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!think.com!mintaka!ogicse!milton!gourdol@imag.imag.fr
From: gourdol@imag.imag.fr (Gourdol Arnaud)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: A view of CyberSpace
Message-ID: <12295@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 4 Dec 90 17:19:51 GMT
Sender: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu
Organization: IMAG Institute, University of Grenoble, France
Lines: 204
Approved: hitl@hardy.u.washington.edu


[Although in general "cyber-" debates are encouraged to be sent to the
appropriate newsgroups, I found Arnaud's "personal view" useful for two
purposes.  First, it is in fact a collection of design criteria that may
be useful to designers of virtual worlds.  Second, it is an interesting
contribution from France, one of the sites of incipient research into
virtual interface technology, worlds, and reality.  Your responses are
welcomed by Arnaud and me.  --  Bob Jacobson]




Hi !

It seems I made a mistake and mis-posted this post to the wrong
forum a while ago.
If this is not the case and you already read this, please feel
free to skip to the next post and sorry for the lost bandwidth.



A while ago, several people here (in the vr forum) stated that
 they wanted to have their own view of the cyberspace. That is,
they want to choose if they see net "access" as big circles 
(red, blue or whatever) or as doors with a label on it,
or as building with a big sign...
Others have also argued that cyberspace should not always
"look like" reality.
I'm affraid I must say I disagree with those two opinions.


Today, cyberspace (or Internet if you prefer) is using text
data only. The message are those characters I am sending
you. You are free to choose the font with which you
read my message (if your deck (or rather terminal)) allows you
to do it. But this is because I can't send you my message with
some font information.

Let's make a step in the future (not speaking yet of real 
cyberspace). I got a microphone attached to my terminal. 
With it I can record voice messages. Let's suppose I choose 
to send you the message this way. Do you mean you would like 
to choose the way my voice is altered when you receive it ?
I do not want you to alter my message this way.

Suppose I send you a graphic or a video sequence. Do you want
your system to "translate" it ? I sure do not want. If I send
you the message a certain way, I want you to receive it the same
way, even if you can alter it after. As you can take the words
I am sending today and then put them in any order you wish. But
it's not MY message any more.


So, let's go back to cyberspace. When the bandwith will be
high enough, we will not just send each other ASCII characters,
but sound, still pictures, video sequences, and maybe other
things as well (comportemental programms). You can not
customize this, as this is not just your deck that is making
cyberspace alive, but the whole network.

In short, the medium we are using today is so poor that
it does not allow to give various forms to the messages.
When medium will be more sophisticated, we will realize that
there are many "ways" to send a message, and we will then 
give more importance to the form than we do today.



As for virtual-worlds mimicking(sp?) reality or real-world,
from my above argument you see that we will have to share
some common common world/methaphor that everybody linked
to the Net will see (or listen or feel).

Each of the one linked to the net will be able to customize
the way himself looks, not the way others appear to him.
The analogy with today is the header of the messages. Everybody
agree on them. Same with the character set.

This suppose that this virtual world should be "natural" to 
everybody. We will be able to feel good in it. And what is
a very sophisticated environement that is natural and
in which we feel good, and of which we have a vast knowledge ?
The real-world, of course.

But that is not to say that vr must be a carbon copy of the
real world (what would be the interest ?). It should add
something I call "magic", that is some behaviours that
do not exist in real world, but that we can understand,
and that we can accept. I call this magic, because
counts and fairy tales use this: Once you have defined
a set of magic rules, your universe stay coherent and
stick to these rules. If I say I can go from one
place to another by saying "hocu-pocus", it's OK if everyone
does this.
Moreover, I think that there is a common set of "acceptable"
rules that we could add to vr, and that those rules *are*
in the fairy tales, counts and myths today.
Everybody knows that we can see "things" in a crystal ord, be
it the future, a distant event, or whatever.
Everybody knows that garlic can be used against vampires (or
pirates ???)
Everybody knows that warp drive allows you to jump from
one place in the galaxy to another.



Now, it's time to give my own view of how cyberspace could look.
It's based on many cyberpunk books (Gibson, Sterling, many
others).

The net is like a big town. There are some big buildings in it
(big .com) with their name flashing in very huge neon-letters.
When I want to send a message to someone I go to the building
he is in.
I can go quickly at any place of NetTown. In my pocket I have
got a little device I build myself with a set of virtual
tools. It looks like a pocket calculator with a few buttons.
When I press on one of these buttons, I instantly teleport
myself to the location labelled on the button.

So, I go at the bulding entry. There is a groom waiting for me.
If I can't enter the building, he will tell me so, pointing
at the mailboxes outside the building. I then go to the maiboxes
and quickly find the one of my friend (I can quickly locate it
because there is a big sticker representing a silver wand
and stars on a dark blue background).

I then go INTO the mailbox. Inside the mailbox (which is a
rather big box in fact) is a small room with a sofa, two big
 comfortable armchairs and a little table. There is an
"electronic representation" of my friend waiting for me here.
As usual he chose to appear as a magician with a dark blue robe
sprinkled with silver stars.

He greets me and tells me he is out for now. I tell him
about a problem I had with a programm he sent to me. 
The electronic representation listen carrefuly, frowning,
while looking in it's knowledge database where it  finds a fact 
my friend (the human one) has put in it about this problem.
The rep (short for electronic representation) tells me "Oh, yes.
Here is what should solve your problem". He puts his hand into 
his robe and pulls out a crystal orb,that I take. This orb is a 
representation of my friend's program. Carefully looking
at it, I see that the version number marked on the glass
is different from the one I have.
If I want, I can enter into the orb. But as for now, I leave the
rep and get out of the mailbox.

I now goes to a cafe called "Mona Lisa" where they are used to
speak about how to improve virtual realities. 
Next to the frontdoor is a panel with a paper stating the
last discussion in course. I see one about the visual
representation of networks.
As I enter I see the barman and several other folks here, some 
talking to others. Near the fireplace, there is a guy 
talking and showing some drawing on a sheet of paper.

I approach and carrefuly listen to him. He is explaining how he
would like to see Cyberspace from his deck. On the paper, 
are some circles of different colors. I ask him "What do colors
means ?". He explains me "Green are the host to which I can
connect. Blue are the one which contains useful informations".
Of course, it's not really him who explains me all this, but a
rep. Disagreeing with it's views I decide to post a reply.
I then explain to the rep how I see virtual worlds and
cyberspace and make various drawings and video-sequences.
An AI programm is analysing all what I'm saying and translate it
into a knowledge base. Later, a rep will expose my views to
everybody in "Mona Lisa" who wants to listen to me. I then get
out of "Mona Lisa" and shut down my deck.



This is how I would like cyberspace to be. Now, it's pure 
fiction (today). But there are things we should do today :

1. Imagine what tomorrow could be (even if it appears as
   "daydreaming"). The crazier, the better.
   This should give us a goal.

2. Build what we can today.
   I think the "system database" is a good idea.

3. Improve what we have today.
   Are there many people out there who are using something
   more evolved than a vt100 ? I personnaly use a Mac, but 
   I'm sure there are some with Sun, Appolos, NeXT, even PCs.
   We are all able to do pictures with those machines (and
   even sound for some of us). Why can't we send these to
   the net. I mean, as easily as we can send characters.
   Or even, why are OS so prehistoric, as compared as
   what we can imagine and most of the time DO today ?
   
Please, if you agree or disagree with my vision of cyberspace
let me know.


Arnaud.


-- 
  /======================//==========================================/
 / Arnaud Gourdol.      //         On the netland : gourdol@imag.fr /
/======================//==========================================/


Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com