From 7d48bd9a65bc5fe92ede80ea7fc49e7526d07c7a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Walter Seikel Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 21:22:58 +1000 Subject: Rearrange ClientHamr README's into better bits. --- ClientHamr/extantz/README | 160 ++-------------------------------------------- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 153 deletions(-) (limited to 'ClientHamr/extantz/README') diff --git a/ClientHamr/extantz/README b/ClientHamr/extantz/README index b7b4de4..5fb1d5f 100644 --- a/ClientHamr/extantz/README +++ b/ClientHamr/extantz/README @@ -1,19 +1,7 @@ -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. - -Also, during this experimental phase of development, this will be a test -bed for all the GUI stuff. This could end up being the front end for -the entire system, but still having the various bits split off into -separate programs. +Extantz is the main virtual world front end. Also, during this +experimental phase of development, this will be a test bed for all the +GUI stuff. Eventually lots of it will be split off to separate +programs. Extantz is a made up word. The challenge was to find a word beginning with E, is as traditional with EFL (Enlightenment Foundation Library) @@ -31,140 +19,6 @@ 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. - - -The problem with the web. -------------------------- - -At least that's the theory. In practice, a web browser takes up almost -one third of the viewer, and is only used for three things. Login -pages, simple built in browser window, and MOAP (Media On A Prim). For -the first two full blown web browsers are massive overkill. MOAP is not -supported by meta-impy yet anyway. - -WebKit is a pain to compile at the moment, for reasons I wont go into -right now. At the opposite of the spectrum is dillo, which is not quite -up to spec enough for login pages that have fancy stuff. There does not -appear to be any middle ground. So right now, I'll work on using random -web browsers as external windows. That will suffice for everything but -MOAP, which I can leave until later. Just discovered netsurf, a little -smaller than dillo, but perhaps better featured? Might be useful. - -The web is a bloated mess, so it's not surprising that a fully featured -web browser component like WebKit is also a bloated mess. - - -Design. -------- - -A thin window on the left. - -Menus across the top. -View tabs. - Grids Accounts Viewers Landmarks - -Grids tab is the grid manager, though you can also drill down / tree out -the accounts list per grid. - -Accounts shows accounts, though can drill down to grid list per account. -Also consider launching thin viewers, text only ones and such. The -account view is almost a natural for extending into a IM style thingy. - -Viewers lists the installed viewers, can install more, and allows -preferences editing. It can handle viewer installs, upgrades, even -compiling them from source. - -Landmarks manages LMs from viewers, or log in spots, or SLURLs etc. - -A user configurable web browser can open up to fill the right of the -screen. - -Might be good to allow Lua scripting. One way of dealing with viewer -prefs perhaps? Certainly think about Lua for the UI, and a built in -editor, etc. ala skang. All the fancy stuff like development and such -should be kept in some sort of module, so as not to bloat the main -proggy. See if it's possible to disable the Emerald/Phoenix/Firestorm -LSL bridge when connecting to OpenSim. See if we can do it from Lua, -with some sort of generic Lua system for munging things. - -Log file management features, including viewer stdout, check if only -Linux viewers do that. Including chat logs. - -Dillo and uzbl can insert themselves into the windows of others. Should -check that out. Netsurf is allegedly easy to port to things, might be -able to port it to EFL. - +Extantz will handle all the 3D rendering. The other parts can use nails +to control the world that is rendered, and GuiLua to present their UI +on top of the rendered world. -- cgit v1.1