[Opensim-users] Opensim and accessibility by non-technical end users

[dz]

I have tried a number of the "mobile" viewers..  The first workable one was
Pocket Metaverse on IOS.   Since I stopped following that app, a "PRO"
version has been released.    I have since moved to Android based mobile
devices.   Justin correctly identified the android mobile viewer (Lumiya).
I have been using that viewer for a number of months,  The experience is
not immersive  and interacting over a wireless connection is sometime
frustrating compared to the power of my desktop.  There is a BIG
HOWEVER...  Lumiya has worked reliably for me on my phones, on my tablets
and with SL and OpenSim.   It doesn't do everything now, but releases are
frequent and seem to be focused on adding features instead of fixing
bugs..  In the Browser space, I have been seeing a lot of people pointing
at PixieViewer.  I have only taken a cursory look at this option, since I
am happy with my Android solution.  My impression was that it was a "cool
thing"  but not really in the realm of a working tool yet.  I have to agree
with Justin (and others) who see the webGL rendering as a possible future
direction but not likely to be a "world changer" in the immediate future.

Personally, I think that there are much more robust web technologies to
"show folks" the inside of a virtual world.  It seems to me that the same
amount of effort that you direct at getting user inworld on a web viewer
could be put into developing a sequence of video/web based how-to use a
"real" viewer.   Think of it this way...  do you want someone to see your
sim in a viewer that can render the surrounding 20 meters at a max texture
resolution of 256x256,  or would you want to show them a YouTube of your
sim rendered at HD resolution?    Even the Lindens ( who have trouble
recognizing customer desires ) have learned that asking new users to
download a new viewer every time they want a new feature is a
non-starter.    If someone had shown me a ruth on an island in a web viewer
when I started,, and i couldn't drop and modify a prim,  I wouldn't have
spent the last years digging any deeper...  I would have said  OOOO another
version of VRML with its disconnected toolsets...    The REAL differnce and
advantage OpenSim has over any of your alternatives ( like Unity)  is that
you can MODIFY yourself AND what is in the space around you..   I dont see
how you will ever accomplish that with a web based UI.

d
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