From 41e337daed78e75fc5b33b1e17c73e7989d3590a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Walter Seikel Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:59:18 +1000 Subject: Adding the new extantz viewer and grid manager. --- ClientHamr/extantz/README | 107 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 107 insertions(+) create mode 100644 ClientHamr/extantz/README (limited to 'ClientHamr/extantz/README') diff --git a/ClientHamr/extantz/README b/ClientHamr/extantz/README new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b6ba67a --- /dev/null +++ b/ClientHamr/extantz/README @@ -0,0 +1,107 @@ +Extantz is a front end to virtual world viewers, mostly of the SL +(Second Life) variety since that's my focus. Most SL style virtual +world viewers can be invoked with options to start them logging on, and +skipping the login screen. So this project aims to be that login +screen, doing all the things that can be done from the meta-impy login +screen, plus more. Once the user hits the login button, extantz figures +out what parameters to pass to what viewer, then starts it up and gets +out of the way. Following the ClientHamr philosophy of breaking the +viewer up into modules that do simpler tasks, and do them well. So that +means that meta-impy will eventually loose it's login screen, to be +replaced by extantz. + +Extantz is a made up word. The challenge was to find a word beginning +with E, is as traditional with EFL (Enlightenment Foundation Library) +projects, that has not been done to death, and thus has some reasonable +chance to turn up in google searches. It also helps if it somehow or +other reflects what the project actually is. lol + +Extant means "still existing, surviving", or the more archaic meaning, +from it's original Latin roots "standing out, be visible, exist". + +Extent means "an area or volume, the range over which a thing extends" +among other things. + +So I hope to invoke thoughts of a volume that exists and stands out. In +other words, virtual worlds. Meh, I'm not that artsy, it needed a name. +lol + +Extantz starts off looking like any other viewers login screen, showing +the login page of the default, or last visited grid, a small menu at the +top with the usual functions, and the usual login buttons at the bottom. +Added to that will be a better grid manager, with proper user +management, suitable for people with more than one account per grid. +The user will have the ability to choose a virtual world viewer to be +the default, and even to associate a particular viewer with a particular +grid. This is useful, for instance, for grids that have their own +custom viewers, but the user wants to use a more generic viewer for all +the other grids. Or if the user wants to use one viewer for OpenSim +grids, but another for LL (Linden Labs) grids. Coz perhaps their chosen +viewer is not TPVP (Third Party Viewer Policy, an LL thing) compliant, +and Ll are just more anal than the rest of the universe. + +The grid manager will also include some sort of search capability, as is +currently being discussed by various people in the OpenSim universe. +There might even be several search systems in place, so supporting +existing ones, and the ability to add more might be useful. Extantz +should be the only thing registered to handle hop:// and other such URLs +in whatever web browsers you are using. Though most viewers want to +register themselves, so tends to be that which ever one you started up +last, or first, gets that privilege. That's a whole can of worms, sane +policy and code should help. + +It might be useful to have extantz be able to download viewers, +including checking for updates and offering to download them. As well +as updates to common things like viewer tag definition files. + +Extantz, unlike the LL viewer code base, will be designed for relogging. +Once the viewer it starts quits (or crashes), extantz, which was still +running, can pop again and let the user relog, or log to some other +grid, or same grid as different a user, or even same grid as same user +with a different viewer. + +Viewers can be made extantz aware, like meta-impy will be (since it's +handing it's login screen functionality to extantz). A few more things +make sense to be added in this case. For instance, you might want to +have some or all of your LMs (LandMarks) be usable at the log in +screen, so you can log directly to them. The user might want the choice +when they HG (HyperGrid teleport) to actually start up a new viewer and +just login to the other grid instead (if they already have an account +there). While HGed to some new grid, the user might want to add that +grid to the extantz grid manager at a simple click of a button, perhaps +complete with an LM for their current position. The grid searching +capabilities mentioned earlier might be needed while in world. +Certainly the grid manager functions in meta-impy will be handled by +extantz, even if in world. + +In order to display the login page of a grid, which is a web page, a web +browser will be built into extantz. It could be used to display web +pages within an extantz aware viewer. Though perhaps not for MOAP +(Media On A Prim), unless extantz grows the ability to incorporate +itself into the viewers 3D landscape as part of a prim. Which is a good +idea, then meta-impy no longer needs a web browser. Though other things +in the viewer are implemented as web pages, and LL are moving more stuff +to the web. + +One of the things on the login screen is the menu option to start up the +preferences window and change the viewers preferences. Viewers use XML +files that not only store the preferences, but also a description of +them. The preferences window and it's various parts are also stored as +XML files. There is a bit missing that is in the viewer source code +that ties all of this together. So it might not be possible to do this +for all viewers. Extantz aware viewers can naturally provide the +missing bits to Extantz, even if not running, or even pass that entire +functionality to extantz, just like meta-impy will do. + +For the purposes of keeping resource usage low, it should be possible +for the user to configure extantz to go away when it starts a viewer. +Might be a good idea even for extantz aware viewers, that can start it +up again if it's functionality is needed while in world. Note this "go +away" means to stop running and free up any resources it was using; +which is different from the "gets out of the way" it usually does, still +running, just not on screen. + + + + + -- cgit v1.1