Sun plots 3D route to Java desktop

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 6 Oct 2004 at 17:09

Sun's 3D Looking Glass desktop is set to make a commercial appearance in version 5 of the Java Desktop System.

At today's Linuxworld Conference and Expo in London, staff engineer Paul Byrne told us that while Sun was currently using the demo as an 'agent for innovation,' his team were busy 'getting it product-ready,' even to the point of usability testing.

It currently runs on Linux, but Byrne said that a version will be available for Solaris, too, once it has support for OpenGL.

But although Looking Glass has enough of a 'wow' factor to draw audible reactions from those seeing it for the first time at Sun's stand, it doesn't really fit into Sun product range as a desktop. The hurdle the company faces is finding business value in a 3D operating system so that application vendors can use the 3D capabilities to present information in a more usable manner.

Byrne said that it is 'more about evolution than revolution.'

He said that there has already been interest from sales companies that could take advantage of the desktop's 3D windows management capabilities to do away with the need for multiple screens: having a super-wide virtual screen lets you have all the applications you need open and simply pan between them.

The need for adding business value is also the motivation for open-sourcing the platform so that the open source community can experiment with new ways of using a 3D environment.

Byrne said that he was also looking for ways to enable 3D artists to contribute without needing developer skills. He said he was creating a tool path for environments such as Blender and other 3D modelling applications so that a 3D artist could change the way applications look and act.

'We're keen to enable those guys to come up with a look and feel for applications without having to use developer tools. It would be good to let them contribute in their own space,' he said.

Byrne also said that Looking Glass was getting a lot of interest from the consumer device guys - an area which is much better suited both to Linux and to Sun's existing portfolio.

'We're ready in the API to go down to smaller devices,' he said, adding that set-top box manufacturers are already in discussions with Sun over Looking Glass.

While people buying a PC expect to see Windows, small appliances don't carry the same expectations.

And better still, Sun already has a great relationship with mobile phone makers through the wide use of its J2ME platform. While the small screen of such devices is a very limiting factor for the kinds of applications available for them today, the 3D environment of Looking Glass will create new ways of displaying and managing information. And Byrne said that the next generation of mobile phones even have shader support that will greatly improve their ability to handle 3D environments.

Byrne said a usable desktop should be available in a couple of months with the release of version dev 0.61.