The 3D Desktop

Story: Attack of the 3D DesktopTotal Replies: 6
Author Content
sbergman27

Jun 25, 2006
2:08 PM EDT
While I do think that moving to using the 3D circuitry of video cards rather than the 2D circuitry *may* be important for compatibility with future hardware, it's hard for me to get excited about the 3D desktop. When you ask "what's it good for?" the stock answer is that it has the potential to improve usability. When you ask "How?" you get some contrived answer that is of limited usefullness and could be implemented better with 2D.

When you ask "Where's the implementation?" you get wiggly windows and a workspace selector mapped onto a cube. And then the "Oooohing!" and "Ahhhing!" Is so loud no one hears your next question: "What's the advantage?"

Just give me a zippy 2D desktop and I'm happy. The rest is fluff.

grouch

Jun 25, 2006
3:11 PM EDT
A lot of people are not happy with a 2D desktop. Let 'em play. Some artist-geek may come up with some compelling, advantageous implementation that many of us will then simply have to have.
sbergman27

Jun 25, 2006
3:32 PM EDT
I'm sure that there *will* be interesting advances in how we interact with computers in which 3D will figure in as one of the tools used.

But 3D needs to be taken off the pedestal and placed in the toolbox where it belongs. When all you have is an OpenGL extension, everything looks like a texel...
jimf

Jun 25, 2006
3:33 PM EDT
> Just give me a zippy 2D desktop and I'm happy. The rest is fluff.

We've discussed this at length before. Considering that any 3D on a 2D surface is only illusion, This geek artist isn't really impressed until we have a true holographic screen... Not likely soon. On the other hand, if some want, as grouch puts it 'play' with 3D emulation, what is the harm.
maggrand

Jun 25, 2006
3:38 PM EDT
A 3D desktop shall have a purpose. This desktop makes the "desktop" look as messy as a real "desk". So the point is lost. Its a nice demo. But the desktop needs to be improved not the 'reverse'...

jimf

Jun 25, 2006
3:50 PM EDT
Yeah, the demo also starts with one ugly (black???) and poorly set up desktop, then moves to a brightly colored 3D mess... 'Attack' does seem to be appropriate. Think I'd pass on both of them.
richo123

Jun 25, 2006
5:27 PM EDT
Some interesting links with video:

http://mrl.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/ (My Institute ;-))

http://macslow.thepimp.net/?page_id=18

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