3D Desktops for Linux? 34
Ryn asks: "I've
been looking around for a nice and easy to use 3D desktop/window
manager for Linux, and the choice seems to be extremely limited.
3dwm seems to be more of an
application framework than anything else. On the Windows side, there
are applications like rooms3d
and my favorite, 3dtop. Are
there any Linux apps like these?"
Re:Two words... (Score:1)
I've seen the future, and it is Doom. Good doom. (Score:1)
Re:I've seen the future, and it is Doom. Good doom (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I've seen the future, and it is Doom. Good doom (Score:1, Informative)
Re:I've seen the future, and it is Doom. Good doom (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I've seen the future, and it is Doom. Good doom (Score:1)
Re:I've seen the future, and it is Doom. Good doom (Score:2, Informative)
I took what Dennis (the original author) did and improved upon it with the sourceforge project psdoom.
Unfortunately, I have had very little time to work on it in the past year and a half or so.
WRT Quake, I *was* contacted by someone who pointed me towards the QuakeForge project (quakeforge.net) with a suggestion to make psQuake, but I knew that I didn't have the time to invest in learning Quake code, too.
Re:I've seen the future, and it is Doom. Good doom (Score:2)
Cool! (Score:1)
Anyway, thanks again for this question.
Re:Cool! (Score:3, Informative)
More recently, there has been a plain-X11 version of a similar thing, but with really nicely done labelling, and good speed (no GL). I wish I could remember what it was called though! I think it was French.
Re:Cool! (Score:2)
http://fsv.sourceforge.net
Re:Cool! (Score:2)
SGI were doing it in at least 1993 - Filesystem Navigator (fsn) was available for free for the SGI Indigo. It's the thing with all the little cubes and spotlights for navigating files that you see in Jurassic Park.
More recently, there has been a plain-X11 version of a similar thing, but with really nicely done labelling, and good speed (no GL). I wish I could remember what it was called though! I think it was French.
There are a number of tools out there to provide 3D views of your machine's filesystem:
FSV [sourceforge.com] is pretty cool looking, looking something like a model of a city, with directories and files being the "buildings."
If you want something a little more scifi, check out TDFSB [hgb-leipzig.de], which offers a more first-person view and a tron-esque landscape filled with a wide variety of different shapes (actual images of image files, etc.). Note: you'll be much happier running TDFSB if you have a beefy video card...it sucks to have a visible frame rate when you ls -a :)
3d in 2d (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:3d in 2d (Score:2)
Re:3d in 2d (Score:2, Insightful)
The benefits come from shifting your information management away from the flat desk paradigm towards one we are used to using every day - a 3D world.
Most people know how to navigate a simulated 3D environment because of games such as quake etc. And because a 3D environment maps directly onto our day to day experience I think that it will be much easier to organise data. Just think of it was a virtual office, you have a room which contains printers, your desk with e-mail and word processing, the coffee bar where you go to chat with your friends etc. etc.
This would provide a use for the emerging 3D technologies such as 3D glasses, headsets etc. Eventually I am sure that someone will come up with a 3D "holographic" style display, at which point a simulated 3D on 2D environment could easily be converted and people would already be used to the interface.
I for one would find this wonderful. I love the idea of the ability to arrange my work in the same way I organise things in the real world. Roll on 3D, along with decent 3D display's :)
Re:3d in 2d (Score:3, Insightful)
"Moving" to the printer room, then clicking on the printer to get its status is way slower then just typing in the command.
And if you have to make physical motions like in real life, then it become comically slower. What good is vr if I have to move my hands to oen a file cabnet, then wiggle my fingers to shuffle through the papers, etc....
Not that it wouldn't be cool, in that eyecandy see what I can do kind of way, just not very useful for daily activities.
The reason why I believe this is because when the Source to quake was released I hacked it to load a different creature depending on varies deamons running, then send kill commands whenevr I shot a particular creature. My co-worker where very impressed, but hunting down a onster take a lot longer then typing the kill command.
Why it won't work (Score:1)
Re:Why it won't work (Score:3, Funny)
3D input device (Score:4, Insightful)
For everyone that has played Homeworld, they have come the closest that I have seen to true 3d movement with a mouse, but the interface is still VERY annoying to me, I want my ships to attack them from above!
Re:3D input device (Score:2, Informative)
I agree Homeworld / Cataclysm have the best 3D interface out there (you *can* make your ships attack from above, actually), and I also agree that to make full use of a 3D "desktop" you need a 3D input device.
But it would be rather strange to use a "power-glove" outside the screen to move things that are inside the screen (I know, people do that with the mouse, but they're not looking at the mouse - it's harder to ignore your hand when you're moving it in 3D space in front of you).
I think 3D environments will only become really useful when we manage to put high-resolution displays in eyeglasses, or project the image directly into the eyes. When that happens you'll actually be able to put your (computer-generated) folders on top of your (real) desk.
RMN
~~~
Re:3D input device (Score:2)
Something that handles moving and turning...
Try Berlin (Score:2, Informative)
Daydreaming... (Score:3, Interesting)
Maverik (Score:2)
http://www.gnu.org/software/maverik/maverik.htm
http://aig.cs.man.ac.uk/