From: mrs@netcom.com (Morgan Schweers)
Subject: Re: MISC: clueless (I don't THINK so, but...)
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 09:51:39 GMT
Organization: McAfee Associates


Greetings,
    I'm confused.  In a 3d setting, isn't the 'expanded icon' concept
a far superior paradigm than menus?  In other words, you represent
things in a 3d manner ('tools' == a toolbox, 'writing' == a typewriter
(which would most likely actually work through a voice-recognition
system, but it's intuitive anyhow)), and similar things?  I admit,
this is just my gut reaction of how it should be handled, and I have
*ZERO* experience with 'true' virtual reality systems.  I don't think
that these things are 'technical' issues, however.  I think that user
interface issues are now, and always HAVE been marketing issues.  The
best paradigm for VR work will arise *AFTER* VR becomes common.  What
we suggest now is just what we'd LIKE to see, I think.

    Anyhow, in effect, you would have your 'workroom' which would have
a large number of available 'expanded icons' within reaching distance.
This would replace your standard 'menuing' system with a more
intuitive (I'd guess) and VR-oriented user interface.

    Am I missing something crucial?  (I haven't been involved in the
VR groups in a long time, and may have missed a lot.)

                                                   --  Morgan Schweers