Apparantly 3D browsers are the latest fad, as after uBrowser based on Mozilla Firefox, there is now SphereXplorer, a 3D browser based on Internet Explorer and SphereXP. Indulge yourself in screenshots, or just download and try it. Then, go to our comment section and explain the usefulness, if there is any.
…as sort of a tabbed browsing or favorites replacement? Is that what the SphereXplorer basically is?
That does not sound very useful to me. :/ Sounds about as useful as Dashboard on Mac OS X.
indeed
look at the screenshots,
this whole thing is for those kool-aid guys who look at it and go “ALRIGHT! COOL”
except
it has no practical use whatsoever
and if you did try it, you would delete it within an hour after you realsed it was a waste of a download
I disagree. First, this is really just a proof of concept. Nobody is going to argue that it was intended to “compete” on a feature-by-feature checklist with current 2D browsers. Second, you have a limited imagination. It could be very useful for kiosk-type applications, advertising, modest games, improved accessibility (ie. for people with handicaps, reduced screen real estate, etc), raster and geometry effects for 2D applications, etc. Particularly when you consider that its real usefulness may come from providing an API set to devs rather than a client app — and the fact that much of the install base will already have the prerequisite bits on their boxes (ie. minimal additional special runtimes to download/install).
raver31 might have a “limited imagination”, yours though is through the roof.
improved accessibility (ie. for people with handicaps, reduced screen real estate, etc)[i]
emmm that would just make things worse.
[i] It could be very useful for kiosk-type applications, advertising we dont need more of that thank you
raster and geometry effects for 2D applications
emm.. also no. different libraries.
so it looks like you are one of them Kool-Aid guys raver31 was talking about
Yeah, we’ll get 3d security holes now <g>.
There’s a reason why 3d computing has never taken off…monitors are 2d and lend themselves horribly to 3d environments (well, besides gaming of course).
“Sounds about as useful as Dashboard on Mac OS X.”
Umm…except Dashboard actually is useful. I actually use it almost daily.
Though I generally agree with you. This doesn’t seem like a terribly useful product – at least in the current implementation.
Ad why IE? It is a terrible browser!
Actually, I use Dashboard daily too.
But it sounded like a good thing to say at the time.
yet another useless tool using an unusable browser under an not ready to use operating system [/troll]
i dont think discarding such aplications like this as “useless” is hardly apropriate. these are inovative aplications and visualy rather impressive. while there practival aplication my be questionable the fact that it is something new and inovative is good. what if people never tried to do something diferent or new. we would al still be using windows 3.1.1 and have our interfaces like that. now we have the beauty of OSX and Vista and SUN’s Looking glass project (needs lots more work but has so much potential). discouraging these developments only shows short sightedness. personaly i think this is great. keep up the good work.
:edit: fixed some typos
Edited 2006-03-03 01:09
Hmm, after giving it a try, I found it’s not a bad replacement for virtual desktops… at least for Windows. Having a full sphere to place my windows, I have a lot more room and with a normal virtual desktop app, and it’s surprisingly easy to navigate from window to window (more natural). I did find however that it doesnt support window previews of Java apps… not sure if they know that or not.
OK, I meant the sphere desktop is useful, haven’t tried the browser just yet…
This was out some time ago as a virtual desktop thing.
Looked OK and pretty stable.
It gets a while to adapt to this style of work but i wonder if it realy covers an interface need 😕
If they switched it to the browser genre as a potential replacement of the tabed browsing maybe they should reconsider 🙂
i wonder if it realy covers an interface need
I think it does. Using an old, 2D Windows interface never leaves me thinking “Wow, this is so natural I hardly know I’m using it!” More often, I find myself swearing at it. Virtual desktops are a hack to reduce to problems of a design that was never intended (by the folks at Xerox) to be used this way. Even if this sucks, it should be commended just for being an alternative.
I can’t help but wonder: How cool would this be on a holographic VDU. Yes, I am quite aware that this has yet to be invented, BUT imagine how useful this suite could be in an information kiosk (as mentioned above) but brought to you in true 3d.
I dont understand naysayers when something new comes along. Its called “Progress” and its what prevents the industry from becoming stale.
Full marks I say. Far, far too early to determine usefulness, but paves the way for future applications.
Now we’ll wait for a new 3d-html version, capable of describing web pages in 3d, a new gecko3d engine, and the web will look like in those hacker movies :p.